33 Facts About Jackie Rea

John Joseph Rea was a Northern Irish snooker player.

Jackie Rea turned professional in 1947 and was the leading Irish snooker player until the emergence of Alex Higgins and held the Irish Professional Championship almost continuously from 1952 to 1972.

Jackie Rea reached the semi-final of the 1952 World Professional Match-play Championship, losing to Fred Davis.

Jackie Rea died on 20 October 2013 after a lengthy illness.

John Joseph "Jackie" Rea was born on 6 April 1921 in Dungannon, County Tyrone, and was the only child of Catherine and greyhound track manager Thomas.

Jackie Rea began playing snooker at the age of 9 in the billiards room of the pub his father managed in Dungannon, but usually then played in boys' clubs until he was 21, as people under that age were not allowed in public bars.

Jackie Rea left school aged 14 and became an apprentice boilermaker.

Jackie Rea was demobbed in 1946, and at the time had not played snooker for over five years.

Jackie Rea was runner-up to Jack McNally in the 1946 Northern Ireland Amateur Championship, and defeated Jack Bates to win the title in 1947.

Jackie Rea won the All-Ireland championship in 1947 by defeating C Downey and turned professional directly afterwards.

Jackie Rea moved to England and got a job as a at the East India Club in St James's Square.

Jackie Rea played Joe Davis in an exhibition match, and Davis encouraged him to compete professionally in England.

In late 1952, Jackie Rea was declared as the Irish Professional Champion.

Jackie Rea retained the title in a December 1956 match where he was challenged by Bates, who at the time was the Scottish champion.

Jackie Rea lost in his first match to John Pulman in the 1953 championship and again in the 1954 championship.

Jackie Rea lost to Pulman again in 1956, separated by a loss to Fred Davis in a 1955 semi-final after defeating Harry Stokes.

Jackie Rea achieved the highest ever break at snooker plus, 156.

The 1964 Conayes Professional Tournament was the first commercially sponsored professional snooker event since 1960; Jackie Rea finished last in the four-player event, which was run as a round-robin.

Jackie Rea was one of the eight players in the first Pot Black series which started in 1969; the programme which played a crucial role in popularizing the game.

Jackie Rea retained the Irish Professional Championship title until he was defeated by Alex Higgins in January 1972, the championship not having been contested for some years.

Jackie Rea entered the World Championship for most of the next 20 years, but his appearances became more sporadic from the late 1970s and he did not progress into the main event.

In 1979, Jackie Rea took part in the first World Challenge Cup, joining Higgins and Dennis Taylor to make up the Northern Ireland team.

Jackie Rea was only able to win one of the 13 frames he played, and team ended up in third place from six teams.

In 1987, Jackie Rea was given a special award by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association in recognition of his 40 years as a professional; it was the special award since 1984.

Jackie Rea led 71 points to 17 in the deciding frame with only 43 points remaining on the table, but Gauvreau came back to win the deciding frame.

Jackie Rea was the leading Irish snooker player until the emergence of Higgins.

Jackie Rea encouraged Higgins to move to England, and Higgins would rate Jackie Rea's help so highly that he described him as "a bit of a father figure".

Higgins later apologised profusely, and Jackie Rea said that they remained strong friends.

When Higgins married Lynn Hough in January 1980, Jackie Rea was one of six people who held an arch of cues under which the couple walked as they left the Church.

Jackie Rea made his exhibitions attractive by using comedy during them; commentator Jack Karnehm described Jackie Rea "as much as comedian as a snooker player".

In 1952, Willie Smith wrote that Jackie Rea was the best ter that he had played against, apart from Joe Davis.

Jackie Rea married Rosaleen, who died when giving birth to their son Johnny in about 1952.

Also in 1958, Jackie Rea rescued two people who were stranded on a cliff ledge at risk from the rising tide.