Don Willis (May 1, 1909 – March 2, 1984) was the long-time road partner of the great Wimpy Lassiter. Willis participated in few tournaments, but rather earned his reputation as a gambling road player. You can read more about his partnership with Lassiter and their “Big Hoorah” hustle at the #poolhistory website, here.
Jerome Keogh, the man generally credited with inventing 14.1 Continuous, also known as straight pool, was born to Irish immigrants in Friendsville, Pa., on May 26,1872. Mr. Keogh eventually moved to Scranton where he established a billiard academy. He not only won five world titles during his lifetime, but also saw two of his pupils, Thomas Hueston and Irving Crane of Livonia, become world champions. He died on Jan. 12, 1953. #POOLhistory #straightpool #jeromekeogh
June 8, 1961 is the birthdate of five-time U.S. Open 9-Ball champion Earl Strickland. Born in Roseboro, North Carolina, Strickland is considered one of the finest nine-ball players of all time. He has won over 100 championships, three world titles, and in 1996 the largest single cash price to date. In 2006 he was inducted into the Billiard Congress of America‘s Hall of Fame.
Calvin Demarest was born on June 20, 1888 and died on June 12, 1925. He took the 18.2 billiard championship in December 1909, and his final match to win it (against George Sutton), may have been the fastest 18.2 match ever played: it took Demarest just over an hour to score the requisite 500 points. Demarest suffered a mental breakdown in 1915, attacking both his wife and his mother with a knife. He died while still institutionalized.
Calvin Demarest was born on June 20, 1888 and died on June 12, 1925. He took the 18.2 billiard championship in December 1909, and his final match to win it (against George Sutton), may have been the fastest 18.2 match ever played: it took Demarest just over an hour to score the requisite 500 points. Demarest suffered a mental breakdown in 1915, attacking both his wife and his mother with a knife. He died while still institutionalized.
Utley Puckett, better known to the pool world as hustler U.J. Puckett, was born in 1911 and died 81 years later, on June 22, 1992. In life he knew fame and fortune as a professional nine-ball and one-pocket champion alongside fellow sharks Jersey Red and Ronnie Allen. He was famous for his large brimmed white Stetson and his larger-than-life persona. In death U.J. Puckett is known to some as the ghost who haunts a Texas poolroom.
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