- Larry Lisciotti
Larry Lisciotti (born
Manchester, Connecticut , U.S.; died February 9, 2004) was an American professional pool player and notable road hustler, nicknamed "the Prince of Pool".Early days
Lisciotti had eaten up the local Cuegloss|Action|action before he graduated from high school, but as soon as he obtained a high school diploma, he hit the road. He remembered it as the best time of his life, as there were times when he spent only US$6 on a motel room, but won thousands of dollars in a local tavern.
As a road player in the early 1970s in
Charlotte, North Carolina , Lisciotti was playingnine-ball with an unknown entity for $15,000 for six-Cuegloss|Ahead race|ahead (meaning one player had to score six games ahead, instead of a Cuegloss|Race|race to six) in order to win the money. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a black, shiny object pointing directly at his head as he was getting ready to shoot the nine-ball in the pocket. He missed the shot, as the bullet flew over his head. It happened five more times, each time Lisciotti was getting ready to shoot a game-winning shot. After missing six consecutive nine-ball shots in a row, Lisciotti had had enough and said, "If he's going to kill me, let him!" He fired the last nine-ball in the pocket with authority, but thankfully only heard a clicking sound as the gunman ran out of bullets. ["The Last of a Rare Breed", by Suzanne Weinstock, page 24, "The Snap" magazine, March/April 1991]Professional career
Lisciotti defeated Rich Riggie in a 14.1 challenge match at Gold Crown Billiards in
New London, Connecticut in 1971. Behind by 150 Cuegloss|Point|points, Lisciotti rallied with a Cuegloss|Run|run of 113 to win the match, 1000–908, before a packed house of spectators. ["Pot Shots", by Bruce Venzke, page 15, "The National Billiard News", November 1979. Retrieved May 18, 2007 ]In 1976, at the Challenge of Champions,
Tom Jennings , who was named the World Champion of the annual US Open Pocket Billiard Championship, held by theBilliard Congress of America , agreed to battle it out with Lisciotti for the top spot. The two players playedstraight pool , 1,000-point catch-up at 200 points per block for five nights. The last night, Lisciotti made a 125-ball run to bring his score to 999, one point away from victory. Tension in the air, Jennings made a 57 ball run trying to catch Lisciotti, but undercut a break ball, allowing Lisciotti to pocket one ball for the win. [ "Lisciotti Jolts Jennings", by Milt Goldring, "The National Billiard News", p. 3, July 1977. Retrieved June 15, 2007]Titles
* 1976 World Open Pocket Billiard Championship Challenge of Champions
* 1980 Professional Pool Players Association Nine-ball Championship, (Atlantic City, New Jersey )Filmography
"Billiards: The Basics and the Best", Key Media Aspen Studio, featuring Larry Lisciotti,
Mike Sigel ,Jimmy Mataya , and Jim Rempe.References
External links
* [http://www.billiardmemorabilia.com/roadrunnersmag.html "Roadrunners Rediscovered!"] , "Pool & Billiard" Magazine, October 2006.
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.