Remembering Tony Ellin

Blackjack

Blackjack

Illuminati Blacksmack
Silver Member
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Today marks the 7th anniversary of the untimely passing of my good friend, "Hurricane" Tony Ellin.

For those of you that never met Tony, he was a warm, kind, generous person that was loved by everybody in the world of pool. Tony had a break that was as big and as powerful as his break, and a smile that drew you in and made you want to cheer him on during his battles at the table. Hs stroke was smooth and pure and the guy hardly missed a shot. In the history of pool, there has never been a sound louder than the break shot of Tony Ellin.

Tony was a very important person in my life. It was during a car ride back from a tournament that he suggested that I put my coaching and instruction on paper. At first I thought the idea was silly, but he told me that I had a real gift for "explaining stuff". I am glad that I eventually took Tony's advice.

Tony's memory will continue to live on in the hearts of the people that knew him. He was a phenomenal player and a phenomenal person. If you get a chance today, visit the following links:

Tony Ellin Memorial at Ted Harris Custom Cues

Remembering A Friend

and continue to keep Tony's entirely family in your thoughts and prayers.
 
I got to know Tony during the times that we played tournaments around SC in the early to mid nineties. Back then, there weren't as many players as there are now, so it was the same crowd at most of the tournaments we attended. And then, the tournaments always started Friday nights, so there was a little more time to sit around, chew the fat, and get to know everyone a little better. I'd also see him quite a bit at the Bees Knees in Mount Pleasant.

Tony was a good guy. One thing that most people don't know about Tony is how great an athelete he was. He would torch you at tennis, basketball, and several other sports. And I often wonder what happened to Shelby and his family. She was a good fit for Tony, and a great player as well.

Those were the good old days.

Mike
 
That was well-written, thanks for the tribute David. I need to get some old videos to watch Tony's game, always heard how enjoyable he was to watch.
 
I remember meeting Tony E. in Atlanta and in S.C. quite a few times. The thing that was so great about him to me was that he would encourage up and coming players and people that were just taking up the game and always try to offer helpful advice. Not to mention he was a hell of a player himself. Hard to believe its been 7 years since his passing.

Southpaw
 
I can see rolly polly Tony half walking, half waddling around the table. And always rushing to get to the next shot. He didn't waste any time. When he was on (which was most of the time), he didn't miss much. It always seemed like he should win more tournaments than he did, but he seemed to get a lot of bad breaks at the end. The crowd loved Tony too, pulling for him in all his matches.

He was consistently in the top five or six players at most major tourneys, so he was the real deal. And his break was the best in the game back then. Only George Breedlove, Danny Medina and David Howard could break as hard. Tony was a soft spoken guy, who never created any problems. A real pro who went about his business without much fanfare or noise. Just got down in the pit, busted them balls and ran out.

He did win the Sands one time (against a packed field) and the Challenge Of Champions also. He may have won a couple back East as well.

Nice tribute to Tony. Thanks David.
 
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I met Tony when I was in college at the College of Charleston in the late 80's. I used to play everyday at a place called the Golden Cue on James Island. He was the guy that would always offer help if asked. I moved back to Columbia after college and was playing golf professionally. I would run into Tony (usually with Shannon Daulton and Johnny Archer) at a place called the Sports Palace in Columbia. It was always fun to watch the three of them try to get each other to play with some crazy spot.

Mike...here is a link to Shelby. She is still involved with the game. http://apaofsouthcarolina.com/about_us/contact.asp
 
Shelby is doing fine -- she remarried last year (that's her husband in the link Bluesteel provided, Bruce); Ashley, her daughter with Tony, is now 10 years old and doing fine as well. Shelby plays mostly league now, but is still a fierce competitor. She recently received her Master's Degree in Geology.

Nice tribute, Blackjack. Thank you so much.
 
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