Pat Houlihan
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| Pat Houlihan | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1929 |
| Died | 2006 |
| Nationality |  English |
| Professional | 1971–1993 |
| Highest ranking | 18 (1978–1979) |
| Best ranking finish | World Championship Last 16 (1973 and 1978) |
Patrick 'Pat' Houlihan (1929-2006) was an English snooker player. He was born in Deptford, London.
He turned professional in 1971 at the age of 42 after many years as an amateur including beating future world champion John Spencer 11-3 at Blackpool Tower during the 1965 World Amateur Championship. Additionally, he lifted the BA&CC television tournament, one of snooker's first televised events.
During his professional career, His highest position in the world rankings was 18th and retired in 1993 before dissapering. It had been stymied by world champion turned snooker tsar, Joe Davis, who was responsible for selecting new professionals and disapproved of amateurs such as Houlihan who had played matches at various snooker clubs for money. He played in the main stages of the World Championship twice in 1973 when he lost to then defending champion Alex Higgins and at the Crucible in 1978 when he lost to Cliff Thorburn in the first round.
Despite his cult status, there was no braggadocio about Patsy's manner, which was always modest and unassuming. He was also a mesmerising storyteller, possessing a vast store of snooker-related anecdotes, as well as a dazzling repertoire of coin tricks.
He was married with three grown-up children by the time he died.
His friend, Jimmy White now a snooker legend himself, once described him as "the greatest snooker player I've ever seen", and White's own brand of attacking snooker owed much to his fellow south Londoner.
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