TX HOF Sept 2nd 2025

[Korsakoff]

I was talking with Richard in the bar before the ceremony, and CJ and a friend (who inducted him) walked in. I said to Richard, "Isn't that CJ?" He said, "That's what I thought."

"Go over and say hello," I suggested. He did.

I asked if I could get a picture. Not sure how this will look as I can't process this on my desktop. I'll post a few more later.

 

[JAM]

I love this photo of you both! What a great shot!

 

[Korsakoff]

Thanks for the compliment, @JAM!

I had some time this afternoon, so I'm posting a bit more. Unfortunately, I did not get everyone's name. I'll make edits as I learn the missing names. I'm not going to go into the bios for these Hall of Famers; you can look them up if you want to know more.

First Up - Richard Black

Richard was introduced by John Rizzo. Richard made some off the cuff comments but mostly read from prepared notes. His speech was short and he left after making it, saying that he had a car picking him up at 4:00 AM to go to another event.

John Rizzo

Richard Black

Second Inductee - U. J. Puckett (1911-1992)

As you know, U. J. Puckett passed some years ago. Fortunately, they had R. A. "Jake" Dyer, the Pulitzer Prize nominated and prolific writer on the subject of billiards, speak about Mr. Puckett. Mr. Dyer delivered a wonderful array of short stores about U. J. Puckett and his adventures, including as a stunt man in the movies. Good job.

R. A. "Jake" Dyer

Third Inductee - Vivian Villarreal

I did not hear the reason why she could not be there in person, but I assume there was some sort of schedule conflict. I did not get the name of the lady that spoke of Vivian. She was a childhood friend since early elementary school, and apparently remained close with Vivian to this day. She shared stories of Vivian winning tournaments at the age of 12, moving away from pool for a bit but then returning with a vengeance. The lady read from prepared notes, but it was very interesting.

Lady Who Spoke About Vivian Villarreal

Fourth Inductee - C. J. Wiley

I did not get the name of the gentleman who introduced CJ. His speech was short but sincere, speaking very highly of CJ. CJ came up and lit up the room. He is such a charismatic person and speaker. He draws you in with every word, smile, gesture and his cadence of speech. He told many stories beginning with being on the road for months at a time as a teenager/young man, moving to the ESPN champion days and the "Battle of the Sexes" against Vivian Villarreal. He concluded with his many current activities. I could listen to CJ for hours.

Introduced CJ

CJ Wiley

The Animated, Entertaining CJ Wiley

 

[HawaiianEye]

Nice posts.

Glad to see Richard is doing well. Richard and I go back to 1978.

CJ is a good dude, too, and I enjoy when he comes to HI. I have the cue he won the 1996 Million Dollar Challenge Tournament with. The tournament where Earl Strickland ran the 11 racks of 9-ball for a million dollars.

 

[Korsakoff]

Nice posts.

Glad to see Richard is doing well. Richard and I go back to 1978.

CJ is a good dude, too, and I enjoy when he comes to HI. I have the cue he won the 1996 Million Dollar Challenge Tournament with. The tournament where Earl Strickland ran the 11 racks of 9-ball for a million dollars.

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He talked about the Million Dollar Challenge and confirmed that Earl got his money. There are a lot of one-off stories about that, but I’ll go with CJ’s version.

 

[HawaiianEye]

He talked about the Million Dollar Challenge and confirmed that Earl got his money. There are a lot of one-off stories about that, but I’ll go with CJ’s version.

I have heard the CJ story, too.

 

[JAM]

It sounds like a wonderful event. CJ is THE BEST. What a great experience for all those in attendance. Thank you for sharing all the cool pictures and descriptions. This is a great-read thread!