Lexington billiards hall professional#

Strickland has engaged in exchanges with fans, players, referees, and tournament officials. Controversy World Nine-ball Championship

Lexington billiards hall professional#

The scandal and a feud with the already existing feud with the Professional Billiards Tour fearing lost revenues and television contracts spelled doom and led to a quick demise of the new tour.įor 2007, he was ranked #6 in Pool & Billiard Magazine's 'Fans' Top 20 Favorite Players' poll. Earl was very gracious about the money, but sorely disappointed that the new tour got off to a bad start. Unfortunately, due to expenses of the legal battle, Earl received less than a $1,000,000 and this resulted in negative publicity around it and led to a very premature demise of the new PCA tour. Two and one half years later, the insurers were forced to pay up. The insurance company backing the event refused to pay and lawsuits were filed. He won it on the first day of the event and the very start of the brand new tour association (PCA). This Million dollar Challenge event was a kickoff for the new tour, which Earl Strickland, C.J. The feat has never been duplicated in a tournament since. Up to that time, no one had ever run 10 racks of 9-ball in a row during a professionally sanctioned event. Jimmy Mataya, who was present at the event, witnessed Strickland's last shot, a tough nine-ball combination in which Earl showed no fear and 'fired it in with authority' to win the prize. Strickland once ran 11 consecutive racks against Nick Mannino during the first PCA tournament in 1996 where there was a stipulation that anyone who could break and run 10 racks would win US$1,000,000. At Mosconi Cup, from 1996 until 2005, Strickland holds the record for winning nine times along with Johnny Archer.

Strickland is the only WPA World Nine-ball Champion ever to win the event in consecutive years. Open Nine-ball Championships along with Shane Van Boening & a record three McDermott Masters 9-Ball Championships. His career highlights of a record three WPA World Nine-ball Championships & a record five U.S. Strickland is a multiple winner of the prestigious Billiards Digest Player of the Year in 1984, 1985, 1987, 19 including Billiards Digest Player of the Decade in the 1980s. Veteran Grady Mathews, when introducing Strickland, says that when Strickland is in the house, 'A hush ensues, and there is an expectation' due to his brilliant shot-making capabilities and unpredictable behaviour.

Strickland, on the other hand, said they 'could have made it only 30 seconds between shots, and it wouldn't have mattered.' Īt the 2004 Derby City Classic, a week-long multiple tournament event held every January in Louisville, Kentucky, Strickland was one of six competitors in a nine-ball ring game. At the conclusion, Sigel commented he could feel the pressure of being clocked. He won the 1988 PBA World 9-Ball Championship, after a momentous final confrontation between himself and Mike Sigel.Ī 45-second shot clock was used to monitor each shot because the tournament was being recorded for broadcast for a seven-week series. He had the 'skill, endurance, patience, temperament, and tenacity of which champions are made.' Because of his dominance, Strickland was named The National Billiard News Player of the Year in 1984. This was followed in 1984 by winning the McDermott Masters 9-Ball Championship.Īccording to sources, Strickland played 'like a polished gem.' He was beginning to be a dominant force on the tournament trail and recognized as a future world champion. Strickland rose to national prominence in 1983 with a victory in Caesars Tahoe Billiard Classic defeating Steve Mizerak in the finals and winning $35,000. After intensive practice, he entered his first professional tournament aged 16. Strickland started playing pool at the age of 8. He is also known as one of the sport's most controversial players for his outspoken views and his sometimes volatile behavior at tournaments. In 1996, Strickland won the largest cash prize to date winning the PCA $1,000,000 Challenge by being the first player to run 10 consecutive racks in a tournament. In 2006 he was inducted into the Billiard Congress of America's Hall of Fame. He has won over 100 championship titles and three world titles. Earl Strickland (born June 8, 1961) is an American professional pool player who is considered one of the best nine-ball players of all time.