One Pocket Hall of Fame -- get out the vote!

[onepocket]

There have been so many great players over the years, several of which have already been elected to the BCA Hall of Fame. Yet the game of One Pocket has always featured a little different cast of characters than the mainstream of pool and billiards favored by the BCA. The One Pocket Hall of Fame offers a chance to celebrate One Pocket in particular, rather than pool and billiards in general.

Selection criteria for the One Pocket Hall of Fame:

1. Great Players who have demonstrated their excellence in tournament competition over time
2. Legends of the road who have demonstrated their excellence by matching up against the best of their time
3. Teachers or promoters of the game who have had a lasting impact on the growth and popularity of One Pocket
   

This first round of candidates has been compiled from the earlier nominations thread here on OnePocket.org, as well as the BCA Hall of Fame players that have strong One Pocket connections. This is just the first ballot, there will be more to come in the future, to ensure that all of the deserving candidates, whether players, teachers or promoters – from whatever region or decade – have an opportunity to be celebrated.

Please note: you can vote for as many as you wish in this election! (Of course, if you do vote for everybody, it kind of neutralizes the value of your vote -- but hey, these are all deserving candidates!) The top vote getters from this first slate of candidates will go in to the One Pocket Hall of Fame on this first ballot.

• Ronnie Allen – Often credited with inventing ‘power One Pocket’, at his peak Ronnie’s explosive style put him at the very top of the action food chain for a couple of decades.
• ‘Jersey Red’ Jack Breit – For many years one of the top creative icons of One Pocket – how many other players have a shot named after them?
• ‘Cornbread Red’ Billy Burge – Renowned action player who twice came within a single ball of winning a major One Pocket event (once at the Stardust and once at Grady’s Super event)
• Marcel Camp - Played everything well, but especially One Pocket
• Marshall 'Squirrel' Carpenter – Won the second Johnston City One Pocket event, ‘Squirrel’ is a living legend of the game
• Steve Cook – One of only two players to win One Pocket titles at both an original Jansco event as well as Grady’s ‘Legends’ events.
• Danny DiLiberto -- a top One Pocketand all-around player for many years, Danny has also contributed a lot through his expert commentary in filmed One Pocket matches
• ‘Minnesota Fats’ (Rudolf Wanderone) – While not quite a championship caliber player, he certainly championed the game of One Pocket wherever he went – which was everywhere!
• Jansco Brothers – George and Paulie Jansco were responsible for the hugely successful Johnston City and Stardust tournaments, the first events to showcase One Pocket, including the first appearance of One Pocket on national TV!
• ‘Boston Shorty’ (Larry Johnson) -- The only player to win four of the Jansco Brother’s One Pocket tournaments, taking advantage of his strong Three Cushion skills and his all-around talent
• Ed Kelly – The only other player (along with Steve Cook) to win both a Jansco event and one of Grady’s ‘Legends’ events.
• Buddy Hall – Considered one of the top 9-ball players of all time, Buddy has won the Derby City One Pocket division as well as a ‘Legends’ event
• Allen Hopkins – A top all-around player who won the first ‘Legends of One Pocket’ event
• Hayden Lingo - Generally considered to be one of the inventors of One Pocket and perhaps the greatest player ever
• Grady Mathews – As a player Grady topped the One Pocket events of the 80’s, as a promoter his ‘Legends of One Pocket’ events have brought us nearly 15 years of the finest One Pocket competition of the day, as a teacher – well, they don’t call him ‘The Professor’ for nothing!
• Eugene ‘Clem’ Metz – Often mentioned as one of the top early One Pocket players
• Jose Parica – The leader of the Philipine invasion, Jose has had as much success on the One Pocket circuit over the last 15 years as anybody, including wins at both Derby City and Grady’s events.
• Efren Reyes – Generally regarded as the top all-around player of today, Efren has twice entered the Derby City Classic, and twice risen to the top of those crowded and talented fields to win the One Pocket events on his way to being named ‘Master of the Table’
• Leonard ‘Bugs’ Rucker – Like Eddie Taylor, ‘Bugs’ superior banking skills combined with a solid knowledge of the game to make him a top One Pocket competitor for many years
• Bill ‘Weenie Beenie’ Staton – A top tournament and action player for many years, as well as a room owner and promoter of the game
• Eddie Taylor -- Known as the greatest Bank Pool player ever, his superb banking skills helped carry him to victory in three of the original Jansco One Pocket tournaments
• Nick Varner – A top all-around player, Nick has notched multiple One Pocket tournament wins over the last decade or so
• Glen ‘The Eufaula Kid’ Womack - One of the first great defenders of the game -- a true "kicking" artist

 

[hemicudas]

I really like what you've done here, Steve. Let the people decide. Good job.

 

[SactownTom]

I really like what you've done here, Steve. Let the people decide. Good job.

Hemi,

I agree wholehartedly, Steve has done a great job with this poll and also this site. What a haven for 1Pkt players.

 

[onepocket]

Register to vote!

Register to vote!

You know the drill, you have to register in order to vote. Same thing here on OnePocket.org. In order to vote, you have to register for OnePocket.org (unless you already have -- if you can post already, you're already registered!). It's free, it's easy (except maybe not if you access through AOL ), and all you need is a valid email address -- and your privacy is assured.

Please note, you can vote for as many candidates as you like in this election, but you can only vote one time -- that is, you can check off as many candidates as you want, but once you submit your vote(s), you cannot vote again.

If you have any questions, please ask before you vote!

 

[kyle]

Could somebody describe the shot named after Jersy Red please.

 

[NH Steve]

Could somebody describe the shot named after Jersy Red please.

It is a kiss-back shot -- that is, the cue ball just nicks the 1-ball (frozen or near frozen to the end rail and just a little away from your opponent's pocket), then the cue ball rebounds off the side rail just right to meet the 1-ball from behind, sending it straight into your pocket (A).

START(
%AC8D9%LN8S6%MJ6L5%NN9Y9%OK3N1%PG3Q2%QA8[4%RA7A9%Sa6_1%UE1E8
%VF9O9%WC8Y5%XD2E2%eB0`6%f7%g3%bM3E7%cD9D3%dE1C5
)END

PS Just a reminder -- please note you can vote for as many candidates as you want in this election, but you can only submit your vote one time -- so be sure to check off all the candidates you wish to see in the One Pocket Hall of Fame before you submit your vote!

 

[kyle]

Thanks Steve.

 

[SactownTom]

as of noon PT

as of noon PT

There have been 19 voters.
Grady has 12 and Ronnie has 13.

That would indicate that at least 6 voters did not vote for either of these HOF candidates.

I would expect one or maybe even two voters would not vote for either of these exceptional players, but NOT 6 or 7 voters.

Disappointed.

How long is this poll going to be run? a month? 3 months?

 

[NH Steve]

There have been 19 voters.
Grady has 12 and Ronnie has 13.

That would indicate that at least 6 voters did not vote for either of these HOF candidates.

I would expect one or maybe even two voters would not vote for either of these exceptional players, but NOT 6 or 7 voters.

Disappointed.

How long is this poll going to be run? a month? 3 months?

Some people might not have realized that you can select more than one candidate, as long as you select all the candidates you choose before you submit your vote...

At the moment, it is set up for one month.

 

[gulfportdoc]

It is a kiss-back shot -- that is, the cue ball just nicks the 1-ball (frozen or near frozen to the end rail and just a little away from your opponent's pocket), then the cue ball rebounds off the side rail just right to meet the 1-ball from behind, sending it straight into your pocket (A).

!

The "Jersey Red" shot IS a wonderful shot, and it looks great when it's made; however its not often used because when it's missed it oftentimes sells out an easy bank for the opponent. Of course I'm sure "Red' rarely thought about missing...

Doc

 

[DawgAndy]

What a good idea, that is a lot of players to chose from. I don't really think I'm qualified to vote having not seen most of these players in action. However I don't think any pool HOF should pass over Pat Fleming from Accu Stats. Without Pat many of these players would've never been seen in their prime by the younger generation of 1 hole players. Can someone tell me if Bugs Rucker would have been to the Akron Opens in the early 90s? I seem to remember a Bugs coming in for the big tournies but not playing in them. Starches in Akron had a 1 hole table and he hung out there.

Andy

 

[hemicudas]

Efren????????

Efren????????

I am from the "Old School", folks. My first vote was for Ronnie Allen then Grady, because of his playing ability as well as his lifelong dedication to the game,,,, but I can't for the life of me understand why, Efren isn't up there with close to the same number of votes as Ronnie and Grady.

Efren is a true world beater, folks. I've seen most of them play and Ronnie at his best didn't have to beat Efren.

 

[Smorgass Bored]

I was very happy to cast the 49th vote for Grady Mathews. Next year I shall vote for Ronnie Allen.