For my birthday I decided to start a few threads about people and things that I thought might be interesting to the nostalgia buffs.
This is the first one. There were several excellent road men back in the 60's and 70's in Ohio that no one ever mentions on here. I want to give them some small measure of recognition because they played that good, and I'm sure they had something to do with the cultivation of younger players who came up after them. One reason the Ohio pool scene is so strong is because of players like this.
The first guy was called Johnny Dollar. His real name was Johnny Overton, but he was forever known as Johnny Dollar, maybe because he liked to bet it up when he played pool. Johnny played good, maybe a ball under Joey Spaeth. He would show up in pool rooms around Indianapolis, Dayton, Columbus or Cincy back in the 60's looking to play anyone. He made the mistake of tangling with George Rood in Dayton one time, but he can be forgiven for that.
Yes there were several very high profile players in Ohio back then, but everyone knew them and most just avoided these guys or were champions themselves. Players like George Rood, Joey Spaeth, Steve Cook, Cincinnati Clem and to a lesser degree Ted Elias were proven champions and only an aspiring or established pro would take them on.
But who I'm talking about is the guys who stayed under the radar and still played high speed pool. Like Johnny Dollar. His son was Jay Overton who became a top pro golfer and is still on the Senior tour. His grandson is Jeff Overton, who is currently making a name for himself on the PGA tour. I don't know if grand dad is still alive but he was a winner himself at a very tough game.
Next on my list is Larry Ridgeway from up in Northern Ohio. He snuck around pretty good, and very few people know how good he played. Larry moved good and knew how to milk a pool room for maximum dollars. He later owned a couple of big rooms in Northern Ohio so he was one sharp cookie.
Then there was Bill Stigall from Mansfield, who may have played as good or better than either of these first two. But Bill was brash and cocky and got himself in jams because of it. He would come into a room and announce that he wanted to play the best player in the house and they could bet what they want. He got himself some good games this way and did make some scores but also he got himself robbed more than once with his boasting about playing for big money. Back then the big Ohio poolrooms were not places for the faint hearted.
One of the best road men of that era was Chuck Morgan, a championship level player who avoided tournaments like the plague. He went looking for top players to rob, and guys like the first three I mentioned here were his marks. Chuck Morgan was a serious player and he could take on anyone at any game. Even the young Jimmy Rempe only put one loser on his resume when he traveled west to Ohio. He ran across Chuck Morgan and paid the price.
Then of course there was Donnie Anderson who usually stayed close to home in Cincinnati. A distinguished looking gentleman who preferred to play Banks. But oh how he could play. It took an Eddie Taylor to beat this guy, as a young Truman found out to his dismay. The first time Youngblood came bouncing through Ohio, he was delighted to find so many Bank games. That is until he met Donnie Anderson. That was the end of Youngblood's bankroll.
Maybe the best pure hustler of them all was Pete Glenn. Pete looked like your local bank manager or insurance salesman just out for a friendly game of pool. But he was a wolf in sheep's clothing, robbing countless players in four states for over forty years. They must have been glad when he relocated to Arizona. His sons Denny and Steve, have one of the world's largest collections of high end cues. They can play a little too, but not like dad.
Then there was the grand daddy of them all, the Jack Cooney of his era. I'm talking about Don Willis. Everyone knew his name but few people knew what he looked like. Don was an unpretensious man, barely over 5'6" tall. He had a little round belly and slicked back hair. He didn't say much and never carried a cue with him. He would come into a room and scope out the action, already aware of who the top players were and what kind of games went on in there. Don came prepared. Before long he would have the best player in the room betting maximum dollars and the rest of the poolroom emptying out on their man. I mean, this guy certainly didn't look like the world beater that he was. By the time people found out who he was, he was long gone. Don Willis was the Lone Ranger of his era.
Okay, that's enough for now. Hope you enjoyed my little ode to Ohio's old days.
This is the first one. There were several excellent road men back in the 60's and 70's in Ohio that no one ever mentions on here. I want to give them some small measure of recognition because they played that good, and I'm sure they had something to do with the cultivation of younger players who came up after them. One reason the Ohio pool scene is so strong is because of players like this.
The first guy was called Johnny Dollar. His real name was Johnny Overton, but he was forever known as Johnny Dollar, maybe because he liked to bet it up when he played pool. Johnny played good, maybe a ball under Joey Spaeth. He would show up in pool rooms around Indianapolis, Dayton, Columbus or Cincy back in the 60's looking to play anyone. He made the mistake of tangling with George Rood in Dayton one time, but he can be forgiven for that.
Yes there were several very high profile players in Ohio back then, but everyone knew them and most just avoided these guys or were champions themselves. Players like George Rood, Joey Spaeth, Steve Cook, Cincinnati Clem and to a lesser degree Ted Elias were proven champions and only an aspiring or established pro would take them on.
But who I'm talking about is the guys who stayed under the radar and still played high speed pool. Like Johnny Dollar. His son was Jay Overton who became a top pro golfer and is still on the Senior tour. His grandson is Jeff Overton, who is currently making a name for himself on the PGA tour. I don't know if grand dad is still alive but he was a winner himself at a very tough game.
Next on my list is Larry Ridgeway from up in Northern Ohio. He snuck around pretty good, and very few people know how good he played. Larry moved good and knew how to milk a pool room for maximum dollars. He later owned a couple of big rooms in Northern Ohio so he was one sharp cookie.
Then there was Bill Stigall from Mansfield, who may have played as good or better than either of these first two. But Bill was brash and cocky and got himself in jams because of it. He would come into a room and announce that he wanted to play the best player in the house and they could bet what they want. He got himself some good games this way and did make some scores but also he got himself robbed more than once with his boasting about playing for big money. Back then the big Ohio poolrooms were not places for the faint hearted.
One of the best road men of that era was Chuck Morgan, a championship level player who avoided tournaments like the plague. He went looking for top players to rob, and guys like the first three I mentioned here were his marks. Chuck Morgan was a serious player and he could take on anyone at any game. Even the young Jimmy Rempe only put one loser on his resume when he traveled west to Ohio. He ran across Chuck Morgan and paid the price.
Then of course there was Donnie Anderson who usually stayed close to home in Cincinnati. A distinguished looking gentleman who preferred to play Banks. But oh how he could play. It took an Eddie Taylor to beat this guy, as a young Truman found out to his dismay. The first time Youngblood came bouncing through Ohio, he was delighted to find so many Bank games. That is until he met Donnie Anderson. That was the end of Youngblood's bankroll.
Maybe the best pure hustler of them all was Pete Glenn. Pete looked like your local bank manager or insurance salesman just out for a friendly game of pool. But he was a wolf in sheep's clothing, robbing countless players in four states for over forty years. They must have been glad when he relocated to Arizona. His sons Denny and Steve, have one of the world's largest collections of high end cues. They can play a little too, but not like dad.
Then there was the grand daddy of them all, the Jack Cooney of his era. I'm talking about Don Willis. Everyone knew his name but few people knew what he looked like. Don was an unpretensious man, barely over 5'6" tall. He had a little round belly and slicked back hair. He didn't say much and never carried a cue with him. He would come into a room and scope out the action, already aware of who the top players were and what kind of games went on in there. Don came prepared. Before long he would have the best player in the room betting maximum dollars and the rest of the poolroom emptying out on their man. I mean, this guy certainly didn't look like the world beater that he was. By the time people found out who he was, he was long gone. Don Willis was the Lone Ranger of his era.
Okay, that's enough for now. Hope you enjoyed my little ode to Ohio's old days.
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