The 1980’s was the decade when darts boomed in popularity and really hit a mainstream audience.
Some of darts greatest players and icons of the game established themselves in the 80’s and really paved the way for where the sport is now.
There were some of the best rivalries from any era and major competitions were pretty much dominated by a handful of players with hardly any ‘underdogs’ winning a major title throughout the entire decade!
In this article, we’re ranking the best darts players from the 1980’s and looking at the most dominant players that defined the modern game.
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Best Darts Players From The 1980’s
9. Bobby George
One of darts greatest showmen, Bobby George was a major title winner, exhibition specialist, tv personality and reportedly the first ever darts millionaire.
“The King of Bling” got into darts later in life but from the late 70’s to early 80’s he made his mark on the game.
1979-1980 were his prime years where he won the Butlins Grand Masters in back-to-back years, won the News of the World Championship in 1979 and finished runner up in the 1980 BDO World Championship.
George would win another News of the World Championship in 1986 and would also beat rival Eric Bristow in the 1982 Europe Cup Singles.
He had a great trophy haul during these prime years but outside of some deep tournament runs in the early 80’s, George was never able to keep that consistency and gradually suffered numerous early tournament exits in the latter half of the decade.
At the turn of the 80’s though, George was definitely one of the top players in the game.
8. Mike Gregory
Mike Gregory announced himself to darts in 1983 when he went to the final of the British open, Double Diamond Masters and Winmau World Masters.
He then followed it up in 1984 with titles at the Butlins Grand Masters, British Professional and British Matchplay.
He would also win back-to-back News of the World Championship titles in 1987-88 and looked like a player who could maybe become one of the top guys in that era.
Despite being a constant figure in the last 8 of major tournaments throughout the 80’s, that seemed to be how his career would go. A top seeded player capable of an occasional major title.
Maybe most known for finishing runner-up to Phil Taylor in the 1992 World Championship, Gregory had a very solid spell throughout the mid to late 1980’s and early 90’s with dozens of tournament wins throughout the 90’s.
Overall a very good career and still one of the best players to come through the 80’s generation.
7. Cliff Lazarenko
Big Cliff Lazaranko is a bit of a darts icon.
The larger than life frame was matched by his personality and the image from the video above pretty much summed up darts in the 80’s!
Lazarenko was a top seeded player in most major tournaments throughout the 80’s and had four semi-final finishes at the BDO World Championship from 1980-1990, however, that summed up Lazarenko’s career.
In an era that had some of the best players ever, Lazarenko couldn’t get a look in when it came to the big majors.
His best run was 2nd place in the first ever MFI World Matchplay where he was beaten by John Lowe.
Outside of major tournaments though, Lazarenko was top tier.
He won open tournaments on almost a yearly basis including the British Open, Denmark Open and winning four out of five Flowers Dartsathlon titles, beating both Eric Bristow and Jocky Wilson twice apiece in the finals.
This was also alongside success with England competing in the WDF.
He may not have lifted a major title but Lazarenko was one of the most accomplished players in the 80’s.
6. Keith Deller
Keith Deller is best known for one of the biggest upsets in darts history when he beat Eric Bristow in the 1983 BDO World Championship final to lift the title as an unseeded player.
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His 138 checkout is legendary in the game as Bristow turned down a shot at bullseye to set up a 32 finish, assuming Deller wouldn’t take out the 138. Well, he did!
Deller wasn’t just a fluke winner though, he also won the British Professional in 1987 and was runner-up at the Winmau World Masters in 1984.
He had multiple finals appearances on the professional circuit including back-to-back at the British Matchplay however, his career never quite lived up to expectations following that unbelievable debut season.
Regardless, Deller cemented his legacy in both the 80’s and darts as a whole.
5. Dave Whitcombe
Dave Whitcombe was a quiet, unassuming player that many darts fans may not be familiar with.
He was arguably a player in the wrong era though, a decade earlier and he may well have been revered in the same bracket as Leighton Rees.
Whitcombe was a familiar face in the latter stages of major tournaments throughout the 80’s and was just unfortunate to always be behind the big 3, in particular Eric Bristow.
Whitcome was a runner up in the BDO World Championship in both 1984 and 1986 where he lost both times to Eric Bristow.
He was in the quarter-final in 1983 where he lost to Eric Bristow and the semi-final in 1985 where he lost to… You guessed it, Eric Bristow!
Whitcombe was also twice runner up at the British Professional where he lost to Jocky Wilson on both occasions.
Like we say, he was unfortunate in the era he played but he still found great success in the 80’s.
A two-time winner of the Winmau World Masters in 1982 (where he did beat Jocky Wilson in a final) and 1985, Whitcombe also finished runner-up in the 1980 News of the World Championship before going on to win it at the end of the decade in 1989.
He had dozens of titles and great success with England in the 80’s and like we said earlier, were it not for the big 3 of the decade then he’d have had even greater success in the game.
4. Bob Anderson
The Limestone Cowboy, Bob Anderson is another legend from an iconic era and somehow one of the most accomplished players despite his tough competition.
Anderson peaked in the late 80’s where he would become the first player to win three consecutive Winmau World Masters titles (a feat later matched by Martin Adams).
He also won the MFI World Matchplay title in 1987 and most notably won the 1988 BDO World Championship.
It was a very successful run and on the circuit, Anderson was arguably prolific.
He won the British Open, Denmark Open, Swedish open, and was runner-up in the British Open, Canadian Open (x2), Finish Open (x2) and North American Open, all in the late 80’s.
He’d cemented himself as a player you didn’t want to be drawn against in any tournament and was world number 1 for over three years in the late 80’s.
Anderson suffered injuries throughout his life, not just his darts career, but for that brief period in the 80’s he was one of the best to do it.
3. Jocky Wilson
One of the biggest personalities darts has ever seen, Jocky Wilson is a true darting legend.
He made up a trio of players who dominated the 1980’s alongside Eric Bristow and John Lowe.
Wilson was known for his crazy darts stories, often the result of alcohol fueled benders on tours which Bristow noted was ultimately the cause of his demise.
A heavy smoker and drinker, Wilson even has a viral clip where he falls off stage drunk…
When he was on it though, Wilson was really on it.
A two-time world champion, Wilson beat both rivals in John Lowe and Eric Bristow in separate finals to claim his titles and also had a record four British Professional Championship titles throughout the 80’s.
He also had runner-up finishes in the Winmau World Masters, MFI World Matchplay and Butlins Grand Masters alongside a dozen titles on the professional circuit.
After winning the 1982 World Championship, Wilson would also hold the number one spot in the world rankings that year.
His tournament runs in the 80’s were mostly quarter-final finishes at a MINIMUM and he’ll long be considered one of the greats of the game, not just the decade!
2. John Lowe
John Lowe is one of the only players to win a world championship in three different decades (Phil Taylor being the other player to do so) and was one of darts elite players during multiple eras.
His longevity in darts was unquestionable but his prime arguably came during the 1980’s.
He won his second world championship in 1987, following initial success in 1979, but would also come runner-up on four occasions throughout the decade.
A British Matchplay title, MFI World Matchplay title, Winmau World Masters title and News of the World Championship title rounded out several major titles he won throughout the 80’s.
Alongside these titles, he finished runner-up up an astonishing 14 times during that period where he battled many of the top players on this list and held the number one world ranking on two occasions in 1986 and 1988.
While Lowe was impressive playing for himself, he really excelled when representing his country.
From 1977-1992, Lowe represented England at WDF World and Euro events winning 14 out of 15 overall titles for England. This included several individual, pairs and teams titles.
Lowe also famously hit the first televised 9-darter during the 1984 World Matchplay, an iconic moment that has been viewed 17 million times on YouTube alone!
Lowe was sensational during the 1980’s but there was one player who really dominated that era…
1. Eric Bristow
One of the most charismatic, fiercely competitive and accomplished darts players of all time, Eric Bristow became the face of darts in the 1980’s and can take a lot of credit for the growth of darts as a result.
The Crafty Cockney entered the darts scene in the late 1970’s in his early 20’s and won the Winmau World Masters twice, a title he holds a record six times. When 1980 came around though, Bristow went up several gears.
Bristow would win five BDO World Championship titles from 1980-1989 whilst also finishing runner-up on two occasions.
During this same period, he went to 25 major finals (including world championships) and won
20 of them. He also won back-to-back News of the World Championship titles and four World Cup Singles titles for England (alongside multiple pairs/team titles).
It was a period of dominance unprecedented in the game, especially when his direct competition was the players listed above him on this list. He won everything there was to win at the time and did so multiple times.
Fans loved him, players feared him, and undoubtedly Eric Bristow was the best player in the 1980’s and one of the best of all time 🙌
Usually we like to give honourable mentions but besides the players on this list, hardly any player could get a good opportunity at a title throughout the entire decade!
Canadian Bob Sinneave was a seeded player during the 80’s and finished runner-up in the Winmau World Masters and MFI World Matchplay.
Pete Evison won the 1989 Winmau World Masters and had some good runs in the late 80’s when he first broke onto the darting scene.
Leighton Rees, Alan Evans and Alan Glazier were regular faces also, but their best years came during the 70’s.
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