More than 30 million Americans actively participate in pocket billiards, 2nd only to bowling - Newsday (Suffolk Edition) - 1/7/1990.

Stephen Hendry became the youngest player to win the World Snooker Championship at 21 years old.  His 1st of 7 WSC - The Independent - 4/30/1990

Davenport turned pro in 1985, was the Men's Professional Billiards Association runner-up in player of the year in 1989. He won 5 major championships in 1990 and was the MPBA"s player of the year. - Daily Press - 5/17/1991

According to a recent Gallop Poll, 20% of Americans played pool in 1989, up from 6% in 1959. The Billiards Congress of America says 36 million enjoyed the sport, up from 21.5 million in 1984 - The Boson Globe - 11/26/1990

Mike Massey, Hall of Famer, ran 300 nine-ball racks in 24 hours, averaging 14 and hour - The Evansville Press - 1/3/1991

35 million people play pool at least once a year - up from 21 million in 1984 - The Plain Dealer - 2/10/1991

Whether they rooted for the winners or losers, spectators left the Caroline Plaza a little smarter: Never shoot pools with guys with names like - Billy "Cornbread" Burge, "St. Louie Louie" Roberts, "Bugs" Rucker and Grady "The Professor" Mathews of Columbia - Florence Morning News - 2/17/1991

Butera is coach of the American Team of the World Billiards Federation.  Consisting of only the top players in the world, he will oversee this team in the World Billiards Federation Tournaments throughout Japan, Korea, China, Germany and Sweden - The Plain Dealer - 3/5/1991

Baize is a woven material, firmer than felt, more attractive and more expensive. It is a familiar midgreen of the billiard table.  It has no thread structurer, but it is made of fibers matted together - Kitsap Sun - 1/3/1992

Minnesota Fats would probably frown, set his cigarette on the end of the pool table, look at "Fast Eddy" and complain, "What the hell are all the kids doing here?" - Poughkeepsie Journal - 2/23/1992

The image of pool changed after WW2, and the number of pool halls dwindled.  The game ended up in the back corner of the barrooms - The Daily Item - 3/16/1998

Three Cushion Billiards - it is popular all over the world - except in the United States - In the rest of the world it is more popular than soccer - Daily News - 5/24/1992

Ewa Mataya, currently ranked #1 in the Women's Professional Billiards Association, will be in the San Franciso Classic, the first stop in the Women's Professional Billiards Association Tour. - Oakland Tribune - 1/13/1993

With her exotic name, drop dead good looks, and killer game, world billiards champion Ewa Mataya has become one of the hottest names in sports. She has appeared on the covers of The New York Times Magazine, has been featured in Sports Illustrated and has been a guest on "Late Night with David Letterman" - Livingston County Daily Press and Argus - 2/1/1993

Today, the Billiards Congress of America says about 90% of the billiards players in America shoot pocket billiards, normally called pool.  The rest play snooker or carom - The Los Angeles Times - 3/14/1993

Ronnie "The Rocket Sullivan" wins UK snooker championship at 17, the youngest majors champion.  Calls his father (serving life for murder) to let him know. -11/30/1993 The Star - Dublin

Mike Mizerak, 3 times World Pocket Billiards Champion, is best known for his Miller Lite commercial trick shots - Evansville Courier and Press - 1/5/1994


Nick Varner - "If a player makes $100,000 on our tour, it's a very good year - The Paducah Sun - 2/22/1994

Amarillo Slim - "In my youth I was a professional billiards player. I traveled throughout the world giving exhibitions for the United States government" - After his son was born he quite pool and started speculating on sporting events - The Vicksburg Post - 3/14/1994

Now, Women can compete in 12 regular tournament events worth $25,000 and 3 majors.  Each event draws about 48 players - Paducah Sun - 9/5/1994

Ray "Cool Cat" Martin, becomes the 32nd inductee into the Billiards Hall of Fame - Tampa Bay Times - 1/2/1995

Jack "Bricklayer" Mcconchie - "I beat him the first seven games because I got to play first and ran the table.  All my buddies began to put side bets on me but I told them that I was up against a real pro".  Mcconchie was right, Ronnie "Fast Eddy" Allen came back to win the next 11 games and went back to Las Vegas with $300-$400 of Manassas dollars - News and Messenger - 2/24/1995

The 33-year old, Earl Strickland, has been a force to reckon with in the Pro Billiards tour for more than a decade.  He turned professional when he was 20 and promptly won his first tour title in 1982.  He has since won the US Open three times (84, 87 & 93).  Most recently he has won the 1994 World Nine-Ball Championship and finished ranked No. 5 in PBT rankings - Sim Valley Star - 3/26/1995

After a rancorous split recently with ESPN, the Pro Billiards Tour announce last week that it was setting up a nationally syndicated network of independent TV stations and is talking with CBS for regular coverage - The Post Star - 6/15/1995

To be published in April, ""Cornbread Red, Pools greatest money player" - stories about Detroit's greatest hustler - Billy Joe Burge from Fulton, KY - Detroit Free Press - 1/3/1996

Hall of Famer - Rudolf Wanderone, Jr. "Minnesota Fats" dies at 82 or 95 years old.  No one was sure. He passed from congestive heart failure. - The Galion Enquirer - 1/19/1996

Loree Jon Jones of Franklin Park, NJ, the world's eighth ranked women's professional billiards player, sank a nine-ball to earn $20,000 ($40,000 in 2025$) to win the first stop of the 1996 Gordon's Nine-Ball championship - The Star Ledger - 3/9/1996

Originally named "New York Fats" Rudolf Wanerone, Jr., exercised his acute commercial sense and renamed himself "Minnestoa Fats" after the character portrayed by Jackie Gleason in the 1961 film "The Hustler" - Hartford Courant - 2/1/1996

Seniors Billiards Tour tournament in Biloxi, has a purse of $50,000  ($100,000 in 2025$) - 80 players double elimination - Clarion Ledger - 1/12/1997

A pool hall has Pabst Blue Ribbon on tap, a billiard parlor has a wine list heavy on champagnes. A pool hall has windows that are washed maybe once a year, a billiard parlor has lavender drapes studded with rhinestones. A pool hall has a bar with the initials of patrons carved in the top, a billiard parlor has a brushed-aluminum bar. - The Sacramento Bee - 2/7/1997 

Just a handful of professional female pool players make enough to live on.  They include Allison Fisher, who moved to the United States from England to pursue a professional billiards career.  She earned about $77,000 ($150,000 in 2025$) in winnings last year - The Philadelphia Inquirer - 3/17/1997

WPA - World 9 Ball Champions - Johnny Archer / Allison Fisher - Quad-City Times - 10/7/1997

Legendary billiards great Eddie "Fast Eddy" Parker was immortalized in the Hustler, grew up in an age where pool, or pocket billiards was perceived as an activity for the corrupt male - The Kilgore News Herald - 1/15/1999

Top ranked female billiards player in the world, Allison Fisher, and the most feared money player of the century, Grady Mathews, will square off in a "battle of the sexes" tour of 31 cities - Intelligencer Journal - 2/26/1998

Johnny Archer won the Hawaii State Championship 9-Ball Tournament.  He defeated Mike Coltrain.  Archer is a four-time Professional Billiards Tour player of the year - Honolulu Star-Adviser - 3/10/1998


The Billiard Congress of America open website - www.bca-pool.com - The Tampa Tribune - 12/6/1998

In 1977, Don Duke started his billiards company.  22 years later he makes over 600 billiard tables per year - he has mad tables for Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones - The Atlanta Journal - 1/1/1999

A few years ago, an artist cue broke the $100,000 ($190,000 in 2025$).  Rick Chudy sells his from $3,000 ($4,500 in 2025$) to $15,000 ($22,0000 in 2025$) - Enterprise Record - 1/10/1999

Nick Varner, Hall of Famer, won the inaugural Derby City Classic held at the Executive Inn West in Louisville, KY - Messenger Inquirer - 1/26/1999

Stephen Hendry wins his 7th and last World Snooker Championship - The Guardian - 5/4/1999