John Kramer (darts player)

John Kramer (born December 15, 1956) is an American former professional darts player who competed in British Darts Organisation (BDO) events in the 1980s.

John Kramer
Personal information
Nickname"Big JK"
Born (1956-12-15) December 15, 1956 (age 67)
Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, U.S.
Home townLimerick, Ireland
Darts information
Playing darts since1974
Darts25 Gram Shot! Ambassador Signature Darts (Puma Darts-New Zealand)
LateralityRight-handed
Walk-on music"Boom! Shake the Room" by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
Organisation (see split in darts)
BDO1979–1989, 1999–2017
WDF major events – best performances
World Ch'shipLast 32 1982
World MastersLast 64: 1981
Other tournament wins
TournamentYears
Las Vegas Open
North American Open
North American Masters
WDF World Cup Team
1980
1981, 1999
2000
1985

Before darts

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Kramer started playing darts in 1974 in the weight room at his high school while recovering from a knee injury sustained during a high school football game. John quickly discovered he had a knack for the game and played his first professional tournament in Ventura, California, the weekend after graduation in 1975.

Darts success

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John enjoyed much success during his playing days from 1975 through 1987, including his first North American Open singles title, where he defeated world #3 ranked player, Jocky Wilson in the semi-final and the #1 player in the world at that time, Eric Bristow in the final. In 1982 he competed in the 1982 World Darts Championship but was defeated by the English darts player Tony Brown in the first round. His national ranking in 1985 earned him a spot on the US World Cup team to compete in Brisbane, Australia. The US won the team gold medal at World Cup V, which saw them defeat the English team 9-0, before going on to defeat the Australian team to win the gold medal. The US team also brought home the Silver medal for their 2nd-place finish overall. 1985 brought John to the US#1 ranking and his first Bulls-Eye News magazine cover. 1987 was when he first retired from the game for personal reasons and John enjoyed his spare time playing tournament and league softball. 1999 saw a resurgence of John's darting career after a 12-year absence, where he enjoyed many successes, including a second North American Open singles title (defeating US player Roger Carter), being part of the rare accomplishment of winning both Open Doubles events at the Las Vegas Open (with Chris White) in 2001, and a second Bulls-Eye News magazine cover. 2002 brought on a second retirement from darts and his venture into tournament paintball. 2006 has brought on another resurgence into darts. Enjoying more success at events such as the Wild West Shootout and the San Francisco Open with Open Cricket singles titles for both. 2007 added some semi-final and finals, but the quest for the perfect dart showed in the finishes. 2008 saw an Open Singles Champion for the San Diego Memorial Open.

2009 was a quiet year and 2010 brought on some very severe health issues, which left 2011 for John to pretty much learn how to throw a dart all over again. With lots more ability to travel to compete at tournaments in 2012, John has seen big improvements in his game.

John has moved to the east coast of the US and is now able to compete more often at the tournament level. John finished 2012 ranked in the top 30 in the US according to the national rankings for the American Darts Organization, and as of March 2013, is ranked at #6 in the national rankings.

John began 2013 with a new sponsor, the Puma Darts Company out of New Zealand as a Shot! Ambassador.

In 2017, John has been living in Cary, North Carolina for two years and competing locally in leagues and different events. He is not currently sponsored and not traveling to tournaments at this time. He continues to be one of the top leaders in the leagues of the area in winning percentages and averages.

World Championship results

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Tournament results

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1980-2006 TOURNAMENTS NOTABLE SINGLES FINISHES
MONTH TOURNAMENT FINISH
1981
AUGUST NORTH AMERICAN OPEN SINGLES CHAMPION
NOVEMBER TRI-COUNTIES CUP SINGLES CHAMPION
DECEMBER A.D.O. REGION II CHAMPION
A.D.O. NATIONAL SECOND PLACE
1982
OCTOBER WEST COAST MASTERS SINGLES CHAMPION
OKTOBERFEST SINGLES CHAMPION
DECEMBER SAN DIEGO OPEN SINGLES CHAMPION
1983
MARCH DARTS FOR DIABETES SINGLES CHAMPION
OCTOBER AUTUMN DART FESTIVAL SINGLES CHAMPION
1984
APRIL FOOTHILL OPEN SINGLES CHAMPION
JULY COLORADO OPEN TEAM FINALIST
AUGUST LOS ANGELES OPEN SINGLES CHAMPION
DECEMBER BRITISH OPEN OPEN SINGLES-17TH PLACE
DECEMBER A.D.O. REGION II-3 THIRD PLACE
A.D.O. NATIONAL TENTH PLACE
1985
MARCH NEW MEXICO OPEN SINGLES CHAMPION
APRIL BAKERSFIELD OPEN SINGLES CHAMPION
MAY DALLAS OPEN SINGLES CHAMPION
JULY COLORADO OPEN SINGLES CHAMPION
JULY MARQUISE WARM-UP 501 SINGLES CHAMPION
AUGUST PEACHTREE OPEN SINGLES CHAMPION
NOVEMBER OLD PUEBLO CLASSIC CRICKET SINGLES CHAMPION
DECEMBER ADO REGION II-3 FIRST PLACE
ADO NATIONAL FIRST PLACE
1999
AUGUST NORTH AMERICAN OPEN SINGLES CHAMPION
2001
APRIL CHARLOTTE OPEN CRICKET SINGLES CHAMPION
2006
MAY WILD WEST SHOOTOUT CRICKET SINGLES CHAMPION
AUGUST RHADT TOURNAMENT SINGLES CHAMPION
SEPTEMBER SAN FRANCISCO OPEN CRICKET SINGLES CHAMPION
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