![]() He later returned to the game at nearly 100%, once again winning the BCA World Championship, (1957). When World War II ended, he returned to a successful tournament career and renewed his affiliation with Brunswick Corporation.Īfter suffering a stroke in 1956, Willie slowed down on his tournament appearances in order to recover. In 1944, Willie enlisted in the US Army, having already spent several years working within the defense industry. He continued to dominate pool into the mid-1950s in a manner few have equalled, however he was beaten by Richard Roberts. ![]() He dominated this series, and ran 125 balls from the break five times when only two other players in history had ever done the same. Mosconi was sponsored by a hall in New York called McGirr's. In the end the scoreline read 57 wins for Greenleaf and an astonishing 50 wins for the 20 year old Mosconi.įrom 1940 to 1941, a league was sponsored by billiard halls with eight players, and a full round robin took place. Mosconi was joined by his idol and then World Champion Ralph Greenleaf, who was at the top of his game. ![]() That same year Mosconi embarked on a hectic cross-country exhibition tour promoting Brunswick products. ] His performance garnered the attention of the president of Brunswick Corporation who immediately hired the young phenom. Erwin Rudolph, the tournament winner, ran the needed balls and won. He nearly won the title but lost as he missed that single ball that could have made him the champion. In 1933, Mosconi competed in the Billiard Congress of America (BCA) World Championship tournament. Willie claimed he never hustled anyone, beating everyone straight. After a short while, Willie was making a living as a professional billiards player. Upon his return, Mosconi entered one local tournament after another and according to his autobiography, "Willie's Game" " ", his autobiography], he won them all. ] By the early-1930s Willie needed to take a brief hiatus from the game, but returned a couple years later in the hopes of earning some money. ![]() In 1924, at the tender age of eleven, Willie was the juvenile straight pool champion and was regularly holding trick shot exhibitions. The hall was packed, and though Greenleaf won that match, Willie played well enough to draw considerable attention and launch his career in professional billiards. In 1919, an exhibition match was arranged between six-year old Willie and the reigning World Champion, Ralph Greenleaf. His father began advertising challenge matches, and though Willie had to stand on a box in order to reach the table, he beat experienced players many years his senior. Mosconi was a child prodigy and his father soon realized that his son's talent could help earn money for their growing family. He tried to keep his young son away from the game by hiding the billiard balls, but Willie improvised by practicing with small potatoes from his mother's kitchen and an old broomstick ]. Joseph Mosconi was strongly opposed to Willie playing pocket billiards, preferring he become a Vaudeville performer. Willie's father Joseph Mosconi owned a pool hall that the family lived above. Mosconi still holds the officially recognized straight pool high Cuegloss|Run|run record of 526 consecutive balls "(see below for more details)". Mosconi pioneered and regularly employed numerous trick shots, set many records, and helped to popularize the game of billiards as a national recreation activity.ĭuring the 1940s and 1950s, the pocket billiards game most often played in competition was called straight pool, or 14.1 continuous, a form of pool considered by most top players to be more difficult than today's championship game nine-ball. He is often regarded Weasel-inline|date=August 2008 as pool's greatest ambassador and his name is synonymous with pocket billiards. Between the years of 19, he won the BCA World Championship of pool an unmatched fifteen times. Pocket Billiards", ( J– September 12, 1993), born William Joseph Mosconi, was a American professional pocket billiards (pool) player from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and a Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame member. Panozzo | title = Steve Mizerak's Complete Book of Pool | publisher = Contemporary Books | location = Chicago, Ill | pages = p. Caption = Willie Mosconi (left) and Jimmy Moore (right) at the 1953 World's Invitational cite book | author= Steve Mizerak and Michael E.
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