JOHN PART is a legend in the world of darts, having been champion of the world three times and inducted into the PDC Hall of Fame.
Here we take a look at the life and career of the most successful North American thrower in the history of the game.
John Part, nicknamed “Darth Maple,” was born on June 29, 1966, in Toronto, Canada.
Before his playing career kicked off in 1987, he worked as a salesperson and accountant’s assistant.
John told DartsWorld: “I worked a few sales jobs without much success.
“Then I was an assistant to an accountant for a couple of years before he sadly passed away.”
John’s darts journey began unexpectedly when he received a dartboard as a Christmas present in 1987 at the age of 21 — he had never played the game before.
On his first impressions of the game, John explained: “I just enjoyed the process of throwing to hit targets.
“I was actually spurred on by how much harder it was than it seems at first look.
“At the time my awareness of the game locally was non-existent but as it turns out there was quite a healthy amount of recreational darts going on.
“Organisations such as Darts Ontario, member of the National Darts Federation of Canada and in turn member of the World Darts Federation.
When he started playing darts, John met his next employer, who allowed him the freedom to work and compete simultaneously.
He said: “I then went to work for a friend from darts who allowed me flexibility of hours while I was getting into the game more and more.
“That friend was Charles Menezes who was a decent local player.
“He and his business partner Doug Thomas treated me very well working for their business, Speciality Sports Supplies, who themselves developed a large niche market in darts shirts in Canada along the way.”
John turned professional within months of picking up a dart for the very first time, winning his first significant title at the Syracuse Open in 1991.
John’s major breakthrough came in 1994, when he won the BDO World Darts Championship on his debut appearance.
The victory was historic — he became the first non-British player to win the tournament.
His second world title came in 2003, when he won the PDC World Darts Championship, ending Phil Taylor‘s streak of eight consecutive titles.
In one of the most thrilling finals of all time, John defeated The Power 7-6.
His third world championship — and second PDC world title — came in 2008, when he overcame Kirk Shepherd in the tournament showpiece.
At the time, the triumph made John only the second player after Taylor to win multiple PDC World Championships.
It also set a record — he became the first player to win world championships in three different venues.
He is still the only non-European to date to win the PDC World Championship.
John consistently performed well in major tournaments, staying in the top 16 of the world rankings for fourteen seasons consecutively.
BELOW is a list of Darts world champions by year.
The list does not include winners from the pre-Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) era or BDO world champions.
That means Raymond van Barneveld, for example, is only listed once – Barney also won four BDO titles – and none of Eric Bristow’s five BDO titles are included.
Most World Titles
Following his retirement from pro darts in 2018, John has forged a successful career as a commentator.
As a trailblazing former player and multiple world and major champion, his insights and analysis are highly valued in the world of sports broadcasting.
Aside from his TV duties, John also competes in the World Senior Darts Tour and Championship Darts Circuit in North America.
