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24 Facts About Jocky Wilson

1.

John Thomas "Jocky" Wilson was a Scottish professional darts player.

2.

Jocky Wilson was dogged by health problems and suddenly retired from the game in December 1995.

3.

Jocky Wilson withdrew from public life and rarely appeared in public or gave interviews before his death in March 2012.

4.

Jocky Wilson served in the British Army from 1966 to 1968.

5.

Jocky Wilson worked as a coalman, a fish processor, and a miner at Kirkcaldy's Seafield Colliery.

6.

In 1981, Jocky Wilson beat world number one Eric Bristow and Cliff Lazarenko of England in the BDO Nations Cup final.

7.

Jocky Wilson was quarter-finalist eight times and three-times a losing semi-finalist in addition to his two World titles.

8.

Jocky Wilson made several guest appearances on television including the popular darts themed quiz show Bullseye hosted by Jim Bowen, and produced by Central Television.

9.

Jocky Wilson added that in response the only two opponents who would look him in the eye at the handshake at the start of a game were Wilson and Lowe, saying that like himself they had "no fear".

10.

Jocky Wilson referred to Wilson's unorthodox style such as a tendency to jerk his shoulder on throwing the third dart.

11.

Bristow stated though that Jocky Wilson's sporting demise was due to the increasing volumes of alcoholic spirits Jocky Wilson would consume remarking, 'At the end he was doing a 40 oz bottle'.

12.

Jocky Wilson joined the other top professionals who split away from the ruling British Darts Organisation in 1993 to form the WDC.

13.

Jocky Wilson was not able to recapture the form that took him to two world championships however, and only participated in two PDC World Championships, failing to win a single match.

14.

Jocky Wilson lost both group games in 1994 and again in 1995.

15.

Jocky Wilson became one of the few players to have hit 240 on television during a visit to the dart board, by getting 3 darts in the quadruple 20, during his semi final victory over John Lowe.

16.

Jocky Wilson reached the quarter-finals of the 1994 World Matchplay, losing to eventual champion Larry Butler.

17.

For ten years during his darts career, Jocky Wilson had a house in Wallsend to cut down on travel expenses, but he left that to return to his native Kirkcaldy.

18.

Jocky Wilson was declared bankrupt in 1998, and then survived on disability allowance, living as a recluse in a one-bedroom flat back on the council estate where he grew up.

19.

Jocky Wilson thinks it's all in the past, it's over with.

20.

Jocky Wilson died just after 21:00 on 24 March 2012 at his home in Kirkcaldy, two days after his sixty-second birthday.

21.

In 1982, during the Falklands War, Jocky Wilson was temporarily banned from competing in darts tournaments after he was involved in "an unseemly brawl" with an official during a championship.

22.

Jocky Wilson received a temporary ban which stopped him from defending his Unipart trophy title.

23.

Jocky Wilson frequently consumed sweets and generally refused to brush his teeth, stating: "My Gran told me the English poison the water".

24.

Jocky Wilson had lost his last tooth by the age of 28.