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Michael Ferreira, nicknamed "Bombay Tiger," was born in Mumbai on October 1, 1938. Ferreira, four times world Billiards champion, proved to be an able successor to the prodigious Wilson Jones.
Ferreira made his debut in the Nationals in 1960 and in 1964 made a sensational appearance in the World Amateur Champion Championship in New Zealand where he lost in the semi-finals by a whisker. Ferrera won his maiden World Amateur Billiards Championship in 1977 and followed that triumph with the World Open Billiards Championship title at Christchurch, New Zealand, completing a unique double.
Gradually Ferreira gained in stature and produced records galore on his way to another two world billiards titles. In December 1978, he created history by becoming the first amateur to cross the 1000 point barrier by making a new world record break of 1149 in the national championships. His achievements during the seventies and eighties gave a fillip to the three-ball game in India and spurred youngsters like Geet Sethi to shine in the international arena.
True to his fiery spirit, Michael Ferreira was vociferous in demanding equal treatment for all the sports in India. His rebellious trait came to the fore in 1981 when he refused to accept the Padma Shri award conferred on him after winning the world title for the second time. He opined that his accomplishments in billiards were in no way inferior to that of Sunil Gavaskar's in cricket who was bestowed with the more prestigious Padma Bhushan.
