One of my favorite pocket billiard related books that i own would have to be the Lions and the Lambs. One section is devoted to Don willis. Just wanted to know if anybody had some stories or info on him that i dont already know. Heard he was luther lassiters traveling pal. They would show up grab a house stick and get out of dodge. Thought that was hilarious. Anybody know what kind of cue he shot with or i guess just a house cue. Most players i would think would have played with herman rambow cues.
Don willis?
- Thread starter Winne2tough
- Start date
I believe the grandson of Don Willis is a member of the forum. He has posted once or twice about Don, perhaps he might be along to offer up some information. I believe he posted once saying at the time of his growing up he was not fully aware of how known in the pool community his grandfather was, and he himself was looking for information on Don.
Kelly
Apparently he was pretty much invincible in money matches. He traveled with Lassiter (gotta be the best road team ever) and Lassiter said if his life depended on a shot being made, he'd want Willis to shoot it. I know that Lassiter and Willis had a falling out at some point but no one seems to know what the problem was.
That is a pretty good scam. They must've collected a lotta house sticks.
I don't see how one (or 2) could get rich off stealing house sticks. Must've been a tuff life...
Caras asked a friend of mine, "Where are you from?" My friend said he was from the Akron/Canton area to which Caras replied: "Willis territory, I never could beat that guy."
Jack White made two cross-country trips with Willis and Lassiter (Fats was on one of the trips too). One of the things he learned, was to NEVER, EVER bet against Willis, because Don was going to win...one way or another! Don Willis was the consumate hustler, and an expert at many things, besides pool. He was an expert craps player, gin rummy player, many-time state champion horseshoe pitcher, and very competent pingpong player. He would hustle several people at once, taking over the room with his persona ("I'll play you straight pool; I'll play you 9-ball; I'll play you 3-cushion; I'll play you gin rummy; I'll play you pingpong; etc...and would WIN them all!). Willis had a standing offer to play anyone who would come to Canton, OH, for $25,000. In 20 years NOBODY took him up on it. Another time, he was at Johnston City (he never played, he just bet with the winners), a reporter interviewed all the players, asking who was considered the best. EVERY one pointed to the the little guy sitting against the wall (Willis). When the reporter went to Don to ask him why he wasn't playing, when all these "champions" said he was the best, he commented, "Who did you ask?". The reporter showed him the list, and one after another, he said "Beat him, beat him, beat him!). He had a "photo-memory" for sports statistics, and could spout batting averages for decades worth of baseball players. There is quite a bit of information about Don Willis available, if you know where to look.
Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
Don certainly did not always use a house cue, and he also ran with other big names. I have a photo that was taken in the 1960's of a friends father who also use to play on the Road, in fact he was Road partners and good friends with Bill Schick. His name was Don "Cap" Watson and in the Photo are Don Watson (left) Don Willis, Cowboy Jimmy Moore, and Eddie Taylor. I posted this photo in the past, and I forget but another forum member said that photo's of Don Willis were very rare so I thought you may like to see it.
In the photo below he is not using a house cue, it appears to be a Palmer or a Paradise.
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Not only that, but apparently they were driving around in a Dodge, so they couldn't have gotten very far.
I think when Bugs, died his daughers\family didnt know how good of a pool player he was or that he even played pool.. =)
It is remarkable but certainly possible. I read somewhere that the great Willie Mosconi's own kids weren't really all that aware of what a legend their father was! They said they knew he was a pool champion and often had to go away to play a tournament or do exhibitions but they really never gave it much thought, it was just their father going off to work.
That reminds me of something Johnny Ervolino told me, when he was a kid his father told him if ever saw him in a poolroom he'd kill him. So a Johnny used to sneak in and play and quickly became a great player, one of the best in New York. Everyone in the neighborhood knew he was a champion except his father, everyone knew not to mention it in front of him. It wasn't until Johnny was 31 or 32 years old that he asked his father to come see him play in the World 14.1 Championships, that was the first time his father heard he was a pool player!
lol.. I enjoyed that..
Scott's right. Don Willis was a man of many talents. He was a ping pong champion, not just a good player. He played and beat "National Champions" for the cash. He also never lost a race running backwards. How he acquired that skill I have no idea.
The story about the house cues got somehow misconstrued. Don would walk in a room and grab a house cue off the wall and start playing. He didn't steal them. He preferred crooked cues because it made for a better hustle. I grew up in Dayton and Don would come through there once in a while in the 60's. I remember one time hearing about a little old guy who was beating the ring game at my nearby pool room. I ran over there and sure enough Don Willis was playing in the game ($1 on the five and $2 on the nine) with a house cue.
What I remembered was that he was constantly riding the money balls.....and making them! They would then spot back up where he could make them again. No one knew who he was, except me because I had seen him in Johnston City. I knew to keep my mouth shut too. It finally came down to Don and one other guy. They played a few more games and that guy quit too. Don put the house cue back on the wall, settled his time and walked out without saying another word.
When I would see him at tournaments in the 60's and 70's he was always studying the sports section of the newspaper. I got up the nerve to talk to him once in L.A. and tell him I always read the sports section too. He let me know he was studying the lines on the basketball games. Turns out he was a very astute handicapper, spending most of the basketball season in Vegas beating the books. He told me he could always beat basketball and baseball. He also liked college football but not the pros.
He wasn't that tall, maybe 5'7" or 8". He had sharp angular features and would look at you with one eye when he talked. He didn't say a lot and didn't brag. I knew instinctively that this was a very sharp guy, one who had made a living all his life with his wits and skill. And a good living at that. I never saw him flash money and he was careful when reaching into his pocket. Very private! I also observed how the other players treated him with great respect and reverence. It was always Mr. Willis, not Don. Only Lassiter or Crane might call him by his first name.
Just a few of my recollections of "Canton Don". He was at the top of the food chain!
The story about the house cues got somehow misconstrued. Don would walk in a room and grab a house cue off the wall and start playing. He didn't steal them. He preferred crooked cues because it made for a better hustle. I grew up in Dayton and Don would come through there once in a while in the 60's. I remember one time hearing about a little old guy who was beating the ring game at my nearby pool room. I ran over there and sure enough Don Willis was playing in the game ($1 on the five and $2 on the nine) with a house cue.
What I remembered was that he was constantly riding the money balls.....and making them! They would then spot back up where he could make them again. No one knew who he was, except me because I had seen him in Johnston City. I knew to keep my mouth shut too. It finally came down to Don and one other guy. They played a few more games and that guy quit too. Don put the house cue back on the wall, settled his time and walked out without saying another word.
When I would see him at tournaments in the 60's and 70's he was always studying the sports section of the newspaper. I got up the nerve to talk to him once in L.A. and tell him I always read the sports section too. He let me know he was studying the lines on the basketball games. Turns out he was a very astute handicapper, spending most of the basketball season in Vegas beating the books. He told me he could always beat basketball and baseball. He also liked college football but not the pros.
He wasn't that tall, maybe 5'7" or 8". He had sharp angular features and would look at you with one eye when he talked. He didn't say a lot and didn't brag. I knew instinctively that this was a very sharp guy, one who had made a living all his life with his wits and skill. And a good living at that. I never saw him flash money and he was careful when reaching into his pocket. Very private! I also observed how the other players treated him with great respect and reverence. It was always Mr. Willis, not Don. Only Lassiter or Crane might call him by his first name.
Just a few of my recollections of "Canton Don". He was at the top of the food chain!
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Scott's right. Don Willis ...the house cues... He didn't steal them.
That's not what I heard, Jay. He never even sold them on ebay.
Robertduke...Thanks for posting that link. I used to have it in my favorites...but somehow they all got blanked recently, and I lost every link that I had, from 10 years worth of gathering! 
As far as Mr. Willis' grandson, he is quite well aware of how well his grandfather played, and is often involved in backing pro players gambling matches, in his OH area. Like his granddad, he loves action too!
Jay...thanks for remembering the "backwards running" thing. I had forgotten that!
In addition to being highly skilled in many things, Willis was also the consumate con man. There are many stories of him hustling people with his "I bet you I can tell the color of the next five cars that come around the corner!" scam. Of course, it was all a set up...just like The Sting! There are lots of stories like that about Don...which is why Jack White learned NEVER to bet against Don Willis! :grin:
Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
As far as Mr. Willis' grandson, he is quite well aware of how well his grandfather played, and is often involved in backing pro players gambling matches, in his OH area. Like his granddad, he loves action too!
Jay...thanks for remembering the "backwards running" thing. I had forgotten that!
In addition to being highly skilled in many things, Willis was also the consumate con man. There are many stories of him hustling people with his "I bet you I can tell the color of the next five cars that come around the corner!" scam. Of course, it was all a set up...just like The Sting! There are lots of stories like that about Don...which is why Jack White learned NEVER to bet against Don Willis! :grin:Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
Don Willis
Thanks for posting that link about Don Willis, that was the most amazing pool story about a man that I have ever read!:thumbup2:
David Harcrow
Thanks for posting that link about Don Willis, that was the most amazing pool story about a man that I have ever read!:thumbup2:
David Harcrow
David...Don Willis, was, to put it succinctly, one-of-a-kind! :grin-square: Lots of people master one thing or another. To master a dozen or more highly developed skills is extraordinary (not the least of which was the ability to gamble VERY high, and stay focused)!
Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
He did lose once to Harold Worst...
...and that's the only time I EVER heard of his losing at pool. His rep for table tennis, however, is overstated. He bragged of beating "two world champions" back-to-back - but my college roommate is one of the founders (and a member) of that sport's Hall of Fame, and knows the two players in question very well. Each man has stated definitively, "We were never in Canton, and never played any pool hustler." He COULDN'T have beaten them, because it takes a tournament player to beat one (in other words, there are no "undercover" players); that's what's required if you're ever going to learn how to handle spin. All the rest, about horseshoes, cards, running backwards, etc., is apparently true. GF
...and that's the only time I EVER heard of his losing at pool. His rep for table tennis, however, is overstated. He bragged of beating "two world champions" back-to-back - but my college roommate is one of the founders (and a member) of that sport's Hall of Fame, and knows the two players in question very well. Each man has stated definitively, "We were never in Canton, and never played any pool hustler." He COULDN'T have beaten them, because it takes a tournament player to beat one (in other words, there are no "undercover" players); that's what's required if you're ever going to learn how to handle spin. All the rest, about horseshoes, cards, running backwards, etc., is apparently true. GF