DON WILLIS - greatest pool player
Richard C Tumbelaka
I read somewhere that the greatest unknown pool player is an old Master
by the name of DON WILLIS.
Any comments ?
Ricky
rhncue
Cincinnati Kid" although Lima is a fer piece from Cinti. was supposedly an
extremly good road player. He played all the pocket games very good and was
capable of beating anybody at times just like your very good players of this
era. I don't believe in any stretch of the imagination that he would be
considered the best ever though.
Dick
--
repairing and building fine custom cues for
real pool players at affordable prices.
over 30 years experience.
Richard H. Neighbors
web sight http://www.dickiecues.com
ph.# (513) 242-1700
cinti. oh.
"Richard C Tumbelaka" <ric...@attglobal.net> wrote in message
news:3DBCCF25...@attglobal.net...
lfigueroa
Willis with the following quote from Luther Lassiter: "If I ever had to
have someone else shoot pool for my life, win or lose, live or die, the man
that I'd have shooting for me is Don Willis."
Besides claiming to have at one time peeled off 42 wing shots in a row,
Willis quotes from some old newspaper clippings.
Jimmy Moore, "In thirty-five years I lost only once for money. I lost to
Don Willis in Louisville, KY."
Harold Worst, "Don Willis in my opinion is the best nine-ball player in the
world."
Al Coslosky, a veteran player, "Every Worlds Tournament I attended Willis
had an open challenge to play anybody."
And quoting from a Canton newspaper -- presumably the results of a single
straight pool tournament -- it reads:
Erwin Rudolph 35
Don Willis 125 high run 88
Bobby Moore 33
Don Willis 125 high run 48
Jimmy Caras 97
Don Willis 100 high run 87 unfinished
Ralph Greenleaf 40
Don Willis 125 high run 66 unfinished
Willie Mosconi 65
Don Willis 125 high run 70 unfinished
Lou Figueroa
"Richard C Tumbelaka" <ric...@attglobal.net> wrote in message
news:3DBCCF25...@attglobal.net...
>
Fred Agnir
> I read somewhere that the greatest unknown pool player is an old Master
> by the name of DON WILLIS.
> Any comments ?
>
How could he be unknown if everyone knew of him? Not to cut his
reported skill, but if "lack of professional tournament wins" or such
was the benchmark, where do you put guys like Gene Nagy?
Fred
JoeyA
JoeyA
P.S. Evgeny Stalev (The RUSSIAN) was in town playing Jamie, even, 5 ahead
set for a big one, 15 ball banks ........and it was a see-saw battle. Got
tired and had to make it to work this morning to catch up on the hundreds of
posts that are put here over the weekend. Jamie got to the hill SEVERAL
times just to see the tenacious Russian back the coin down. I left last
night when the score was Jamie 2.
GREAT ARTICLE IN Inside Pool Magazine about STALEV! Joey looking to try out
a rubber wrap like Stalev. :-)
Cliff Joiner sent an ambassador to ask me what would be the smallest spot I
would take to play some 200 a game one pocket. I sent the ambassador back
and asked, "What would be the largest spot he would give me for 200 a game?"
A response never came. Oh, well. I survived another day.
"lfigueroa" <lfig...@att.net> wrote in message
news:Ngav9.10148$VJ5.6...@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
Bill Howes
Hi Fred, Don Willis was unknown ONLY by the non-pros. He was the most
feared road player of his time. The "lack of tournament wins" was simply
because he was in the stands waiting for one of the guys to win the
tournament so that they would have some money for him to go after. He also
refused ALL requests for pictures from any journalists who wrote articles
about him so that he could retain his anonymity in order to ply his trade
all across the country without being recognized except for a very select
few. -Bill at Showcase Billiards in Denver
PS: I think Dick Moecia (sp) has more of the scoop on Don and might even
have some stories.
Richard C Tumbelaka
So Don Willis was indeed a great Pool Master.
Thankyou again
Ricky
Ed Wiggins
the "unknown" legends, his reputation is probably boosted by the lack
of reliable information. Having said all that, I recommend the
following site for some good stories:
http://ourworld.cs.com/_ht_a/poolhalloffame/willis.htm
Regards,
Ed
Dixiedoc
reading!!
Doc
"Ed Wiggins" <slowe...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:c8f5ab55.02102...@posting.google.com...
Richard Moecia
actually born, raised and lived in Canton, Ohio (home of the ProFootball
Hall of Fame). Further information about this legend can be found at
www.GCABA.com I did some research on him. In fact, I'm a cousin of his
grandson and got an inside track to his immediate family. Suffice it to say,
there were no pictures of Don until he was older. I was able to find a
couple from when he was in the Army but that's about it. You can find them
at our GCABA.com. Another post used a very old website address
(ourworld.cs.com). That server has been discontinued for several months. I'm
surprised the information is still available.
The "Greatest"pool player ever? I'm not sure if anybody can lay claim to
that title. Further, I'm not sure if tournament wins is the measuring stick.
Hell, can anybody say Emmet Smith is the greatest running back ever? He has
the most yardage. (Folks in this part of the country think it was Jim
Brown.) I do think Don was a damn good gambler ..... hustler, perhaps the
greatest ever. But again, how can one substantiate that statement. It is
documented he raised a family, owned a house and sent five kids thru college
just by hustling. I'm not sure there's any other professional pool player
who can make that claim. I also know, despite his shady lifestyle, he was
actually a decent person of very sound character. For example, he went out
of this way to use his skills to raise money for widows of a West Virginia
mining disaster. He also did things off the pool table to raise money for
kids and various benefits in this area. He frequently was a guest speaker at
our Hall of Fame Football luncheon. How many pool players of the current
regime have any community involvement?
I do think he was the greatest unknown but not just because of his ability
to play pool. He was extremely intelligent plus he was a responsible family
man with a colorful personality and a heart of gold. Just my opinion, Dick
Moecia
Jack Justis
Here's what Mr. Eddie Taylor had to say about Mr. Willis.
Dear Jack,
Don Willis and I were very close friends but we never played each other.
He was also a champion ping pong player, running backwards champion and
numerous other things.
I could write a book, but you probably would not want to read it.
Talk to you soon,
Eddie
Jack Justis
<A HREF="http://members.aol.com/JJustis4/index.html">Justis Cases</A>
Gideon Forrest
"Jack Justis" <jjus...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20021029075214...@mb-dh.aol.com...
> >DON WILLIS -
>
> Here's what Mr. Eddie Taylor had to say about Mr. Willis.
>
> Dear Jack,
> Don Willis and I were very close friends but we never played each other.
Does that mean that they never played each other at all, or never for money?
I find it hard to imagine two great pool players being very close friends
and yet never playing a single game.
Am I missing something?
Gideon
Bob Johnson
write that book! Tell him I would place an order for it now!
--
Bob Johnson, Denver, Co.
bo...@cris.com
"Jack Justis" <jjus...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20021029075214...@mb-dh.aol.com...
Jack Justis
>I find it hard to imagine two great pool players being very close friends
>and yet never playing a single game.
>
>Am I missing something?
>
Hi Gideon,
Back in the golden era of pool, I think the word "play" and "gamble" meant the
same thing ;-). More than likely they engaged but not for $. One example off
the top of my head is Archer and Coltrain. They have been buds for a number of
years, but your right, there aren't too many like that.
Regards,
Jack
Joseph Bartlo
> Does that mean that they never played each other at all, or never for money?
> I find it hard to imagine two great pool players being very close friends
> and yet never playing a single game.
>
> Am I missing something?
They were very close friend *because* they never played each other for money.
If a guy plays you for fun, you can be friends, but I can't be convinced of
this crap they he or anyone could be a friend of anyone and try to hustle
money from him at the same time.
If some pest hates my guts and says all kinds of crap about me - that's the
guy I want to hustle money from. But I aint doing this to no one who ever
did a thing to me.
Joseph Bartlo
> I do think he was the greatest unknown but not just because of his ability
> to play pool. He was extremely intelligent plus he was a responsible family
> man with a colorful personality and a heart of gold. Just my opinion, Dick
The people he beat is a testimony to his skill at the table - you can certainly
support the argument he was the greatest player. Yet please don't try to make
a saint of a guy who preyed on unsuspecting pool players to take away their
money. Yes, he did some good things for people also - but no one is all bad
nor all good. I try not to judge either because you can't make a fair one if
you didn't walk in a person's shoes - or run in them backward faster than you
can go forward - or whatever.
Richard Moecia
When I asked John Grassy permission to use his chapter on Willis in the
classic "Billiards", he responded with the following statement:
"I remember Don with much fondness. He epitomized the best of American
sporting life during an era in our history when it was possible for a
brilliant player and good-hearted practitioner of the soft con to make a
wonderful living, support a loving family, and sleep with a clear
conscience."
I appreciate your remarks but Grissim's statement sums up my feelings on the
matter. Please bi-pass the rest our site and take a look at the following on
Willis where you will also find the complete chapters on him by Grassy,
Thomas Fensch "The Lions and the Lambs" and of course, Robert Byrne's
"Wonderful World of Pool and Billiards" which is still in circulation:
http://home.earthlink.net/~gcaba/willis.htm
Ed Wiggins
> For the record, a previous post stated Willis was from Lima, Ohio. He was
> actually born, raised and lived in Canton, Ohio (home of the ProFootball
> Hall of Fame). Further information about this legend can be found at
> www.GCABA.com I did some research on him. In fact, I'm a cousin of his
> grandson and got an inside track to his immediate family. Suffice it to say,
> there were no pictures of Don until he was older. I was able to find a
> couple from when he was in the Army but that's about it. You can find them
> at our GCABA.com. Another post used a very old website address
> (ourworld.cs.com). That server has been discontinued for several months. I'm
> surprised the information is still available.
>
Hello, Dick:
Do you know if Willis had a brother in Philadelphia in the early
1960s? Don caught me for a few bucks at Newby's room in downtown
Phila. A short time later I stopped at a small motel out near the
Liberty Bell racetrack. The owner looked very much like Don, but I
never got a chance to question him.
I was mad at Earl Newby for a while for not tipping me off about who I
was playing, but Earl and Don were longtime friends--and I didn't get
hurt too badly. I did have the pleasure of watching Don fire in wing
shots--he was a marvel. Newby, of course, was the originator of the
Billiard News, which he started about that time.
As written elsewhere, Don was a little guy, usually in a rumpled suit
with the rolled up sports page sticking out of his jacket pocket. He
wore a felt hat.
He reminded me of another oldtime road player--Marcel Camp. (Maybe
someone has some stories about him--he died in Florida in the late
1970s.)
There is another player of those days that could add to the stories
about Don--that's Bud Hypes of Mullens, West Virginia, who is 84.
Even Lassiter and Willis couldn't beat him in his own room.
There may be a few other sources, but not many.
Regards,
Ed
Tony DeAngelo
Sam Willis.
Joseph Bartlo
> I appreciate your remarks but Grissim's statement sums up my feelings on the
> matter. Please bi-pass the rest our site and take a look at the following on
> Willis where you will also find the complete chapters on him by Grassy,
> Thomas Fensch "The Lions and the Lambs" and of course, Robert Byrne's
> "Wonderful World of Pool and Billiards" which is still in circulation:
>
> http://home.earthlink.net/~gcaba/willis.htm
Sometimes I come off as being too cynical - seeing the worst I possibly can in
anything - though this helps at the pool table. Yes, it is probably better to
say the nice things about this man, for he did that regarding many others.
I'll look at this when I have a chance, but now I am looking at weather data -
which unlike knocking billiard balls in pocket and bringing them out again may
actually provide useful information for some people.
Joseph Bartlo
> http://home.earthlink.net/~gcaba/willis.htm
I actually read this whole site. When Louis posted the original message
I became curious about this guy and this was the first site I looked at.
Very interesting and very impressive. I suppose I generally don't have a
great opinion of hustling - the nicest thing that some of these people will
ever hear about them is that they aren't so much of a goddamn scumbag :)
Don evidently had a very great natural sense of aim and hand-eye coordination,
and had several other fine talents. I imagine he didn't have to practice
as much as many people.
It's been said that we only use 5 or maybe 10 % of our brain's capabilities,
and perhaps it is no coincidence that only 5 or 10 % of the time I am at
the table do I feel as though I'll never miss a ball and never get out of
position. Most of my practice is an attempt to make that my typical game.
Maybe he was able to utilize more of his capabilities than most people or
do so more often.
Richard Moecia
here in Canton. The next time I see him, I'll ask.