Mike Watterson
| Born |
August 26, 1942 Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England |
|---|---|
| Sport country |
 England
|
| Professional | 1981–1995 |
| Highest ranking | 34 (1984/1985) |
| Career winnings | £13,189 |
| Highest break | 107 (1982 World Championship qualifying) |
| Century breaks | 1 |
| Best ranking finish | Last 16 (1983 International Open) |
| Tournament wins | |
| Non-ranking | 1 |
Mike Watterson (born 26 August 1942 in Chesterfield, England) is an English former professional snooker player, businessman, entrepreneur and television commentator. He won a National Amateur Championship, and was an England Amateur international for two years before turning professional in January 1981.
Watterson was born the son of George Robert Watterson (10 June 1911 – 16 July 1967) and Olive Ethel Pilkington (16 November 1910 – 6 May 1986). They married in 1937.
His full name is George Michael Edwin Watterson (he was named George after his father) but was always known as Michael or Mike. He was born on Wednesday 26 August 1942 in Chesterfield and he was the 3rd of 4 children (There was a last fifth who died only weeks old). However his birth was registered a day later as the 27th as his father who had been on nights in the steelworks during the war gave the incorrect birthdate.
Watterson's early business career saw him work as a wages clerk and then as a car dealer. He was a salesman with the Sheffield-based Vauxhall dealers, Bentley Brothers, and was one of the first people in the country to sell the Vauxhall Viva when it was introduced in 1963.
In 1977, his late wife, Carole, went to see a play at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, and suggested to her husband that it would make the ideal setting for snooker.
Knowing that there was a real danger that there would be no World Snooker Championship that year, Watterson spoke to the theatre's then-manager, Arnold Eliiman, and asked if he could stage the tournament there. Watterson rented the theatre for £6,600 for two weeks, and had to make a bid to the snooker association, guaranteeing them £17,000 from the tournament. It was accepted and the tournament remains at the now world-famous venue to this day, famous for its intimate atmosphere
Later that same year, he staged the inaugural UK Championship, and within a few years had founded the British Open and International Open, arranging sponsorship and TV contracts with the BBC and ITV. In 1979 he created the first World Cup, sponsored by State Express. In effect, he was involved with the creation of most of the major professional tournaments that sprung up during the 1980s, many of which still exist to this day.
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