Your memory is failing you. Ed Kelly and Cue Ball Kelly were two different people. Ed Kelly is a BCA Hall of Famer and his nickname was Champagne Eddie. Cue Ball Kelly's real first name was Carl, and he was best known as a referee who dated back to the days of Greenleaf. I last saw him ref a match in the early 1980s. He was, indeed, well known for the prop bet you have mentioned.
It can probably be looked up but I think Kelly's real last name with something like a Zingle. I got to know him a little bit and learned quite a bit about ball spinning.
He used to do that one thing in front of an audience where he would pocket I think all 15 balls in the corner pocket and like 20 minutes or something. And the audience would keep track of the time.
He was so good at it as the time was running out there would be a few balls left and just as time ran out with maybe three or four seconds left he'd make the last ball. He did it every time.
I used to do one of his tricks where you rack up 15 balls and throwing the cue ball three rails or more make the eight out of the middle of the rack. I got to where I could bet on 10 but usually got it done in five to seven throws.
