Rab Smith, the Scottish darts legend who came within a whisker of being world number one in the late 1970s, has died last month. Tributes have poured in from those who knew him, with many describing him as one of the finest players of his generation. Born in Moniaive, Dumfries and Galloway in 1948, Smith played for Scotland for the first time in 1973 and continued until 1982, captaining the team for five years.
His golden year was 1977, when he turned professional and won the Evo-Stik Golden Darts tournament, earning an 18-carat set of darts and a £1,000 cheque, along with the nickname Mr Golden Darts. Historian Patrick Chaplin, known as Dr Darts, said: 'During 1977 Rab decided to go professional whilst title followed title as he appeared to be virtually unstoppable.' When the world rankings were announced in early 1978, Smith was in fourth place. Chaplin added: 'If he had won just one more major tournament during 1977, he would have been number one.'
Smith defeated giants of the game including Eric Bristow, John Lowe and Bobby George. He also appeared briefly in the 1981 film An American Werewolf in London, where a match between him and Cliff Lazarenko is shown on television. Despite being at the top of his game, Smith walked away from professional darts in 1982. He told Chaplin: 'The kids were young and I was never at home; sometimes being away six days a week. I didn't want to lose my family life so I gave up.'
Graham Lennox, from Dumfries, who played with Smith in the local league, said: 'In the Dumfries League, he stood out like a sore thumb – nobody could touch him. Most people would see they were drawn against Rab Smith and that was them beaten straight away.' He added: 'A nicer guy you couldn't meet, an absolute diamond of a guy.' Wullie Burns, from Irvine, recalled: 'When I first met Rab, I was maybe about 18 years old and he was a superstar of Scottish darts at the time – before Jocky Wilson and people like that. Rab was the main man. There was none better in Scotland at that time, and there were maybe only two or three in the world.'
Davie Hanson of Scottish Darts Exhibitions described Smith as the 'smartest dressed man in darts – always immaculate' and 'a wonderful, wonderful player, he really, really was – and a heart of gold, an absolute gentleman'. He added: 'You're in the era of Eric Bristow, John Lowe, Cliff Lazarenko, all these kind of guys – Rab knew them all and beat them all.' Hanson believes Smith had the game to compete in the modern era, saying: 'There's got to be some natural ability and he certainly had it. You can practice all day, every day for 10 hours, it doesn't mean you're going to be world champion. You've got to have something extra – and Rab Smith definitely had it.'