Jocky Wilson - Early Life

Early Life

As a child, Wilson's parents were deemed unfit to raise him and Wilson spent much of his childhood in an orphanage. Wilson served in the British Army from 1966 to 1968.

He had been a coal delivery man and also a miner at Kirkcaldy's Seafield Colliery. However, it was a spell of unemployment which was to prove the catalyst to Jocky achieving darting greatness. During this period of unemployment, Jocky entered a darts competition at Butlins, Ayrshire in 1979, which he went on to win, claiming the top prize of £500. His success at this tournament convinced him that he should turn professional as darts was beginning to become popular on television and the World Championship was in its infancy.

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