Cisero Murphy and Brooklyn, NY

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JAM

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JAM

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JimS said:
Thanks for this thread. Great stuff!!!
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It's truly my pleasure to learn about the great billiards players. This thread is a learning tool for me, as much as it may be for others.

I'm still trying to find his birth and death dates, but check out this article written in 1965 Sports Illustrated. The article is entitled "The Saga of Cicero Murphy," another reference to the C-i-c-e-r-o spelling of Cisero. GEESH!

I am shocked at the way the first sentence is written. It really does go to show you how things have changed since 1965. WOW! :eek:

Cicero Murphy is a Negro. He could blame his grandfather for the Cicero. He grew up in the tough Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, one of eight children. His mother is on welfare and his father doesn't live at home anymore. At 15 he was a high school dropout. One summer he learned to play pool in a PAL program and, except for short-term jobs, he has been playing pool ever since. His wife says he should quit hanging around poolrooms and get something regular, something permanent.

At 29, Cicero plays pool very well. He is good enough to challenge the old pros, the durables such as three-time world champion Irving Crane and two-time world champion Luther Lassiter. Good enough to challenge? Good enough to beat them. Last month he became the first of his race to play in the California "world championship of pocket billiards." He won. He was third among 150 in the hustlers' tournament in Johnston City, Ill. But don't call Cicero Murphy a hustler, because he doesn't like it. "Who's gonna play you?" he asks. He will, however, partake of an "exhibition game" now and then.

And then last week there he was, Cicero Murphy, the Brooklyn kid, playing in the New York "world championship." In a tuxedo. In a hotel ballroom. Under crystal chandeliers. And watched by hundreds of button-down Brooks Brothers types. In a blue-chip field of 15, Cicero finished fourth, losing only five games. He won $900. And he probably never will get a steady job, Mrs. Murphy.

Article source: http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1077041/3/index.htm
 
freddy the beard

freddy the beard

Freddy Bentivegna
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Cis' and Wimpy

This is for Cisero's nephew. In either the late 60s or early 70s Cisero played a one week long match with Wimpy in Wimpy's home pool room in Fayetteville, NC. Why nobody else remembers this I dont know. Cis' murdered Wimpy in the long match and had a high run of 260 or 275, I don't remember the exact number for sure. Incidentally, around the same time, Eddie Kelly played Wimpy 9 ball in the same pool room for medium stakes for a week and broke even.
I was with Cisero at the Elks Club tourn when the earthquake hit. He and I were up on the top floor and had to run down all those flights, using the stairs only. When we congregated in the lobby pondering our next move, Cis' cracked everybody up when he said he wasn't going back up to his room unless the joint issues him a parachute.

the Beard
 
watchez

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27035.jpg


McCarty's Billiard Parlor, just off of Nostrand Avenue in Crown Heights, Brooklyn
 
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JAM

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freddy the beard said:
This is for Cisero's nephew. In either the late 60s or early 70s Cisero played a one week long match with Wimpy in Wimpy's home pool room in Fayetteville, NC. Why nobody else remembers this I dont know. Cis' murdered Wimpy in the long match and had a high run of 260 or 275, I don't remember the exact number for sure. Incidentally, around the same time, Eddie Kelly played Wimpy 9 ball in the same pool room for medium stakes for a week and broke even.
I was with Cisero at the Elks Club tourn when the earthquake hit. He and I were up on the top floor and had to run down all those flights, using the stairs only. When we congregated in the lobby pondering our next move, Cis' cracked everybody up when he said he wasn't going back up to his room unless the joint issues him a parachute.

the Beard
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I hope Cisero's nephew enjoys the story.
 
J

JAM

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I am so excited. On Wikipedia, they have a daily article on the MAIN PAGE called "Did You Know," and our newly created Cisero Murphy article got mentioned in this section. This is quite an honor on Wikipedia! :thumbup2:


05:20, 4 January 2009 (UTC)
Did you know...
that according to tradition, al-Khadra Mosque (pictured) in present-day Nablus is situated at the site where Jacob, a biblical patriarch, was presented with a blood-soaked tunic belonging to his lost son Joseph?
... that "Barack the Magic Negro" is a controversial satirical song by Paul Shanklin which refers to Barack Obama as a magical Negro?
... that East German Olympic bronze medalist Wilfried Hartung was once married to two-time Olympic silver medalist Gabriele Wetzko?
... that the fishing industry in the United States operates the largest exclusive economic zone in the world?
... that authentic Pic?n Bejes-Tresviso cheese must be matured in traditional limestone caves until covered in Brevibacterium linens, the bacterium responsible for human foot odour?
... that Cisero Murphy was the first African American professional pocket billiards player to ever win a World or U.S. National billiard title?
... that the City of Clarence, Tasmania, was established in the traditional hunting grounds of the Moomairemener, eventually leading to the Black War?
... that Arthur Ransome's fictional pirate Nancy Blackett, captain of the Amazon, does not use her real name Ruth because "Amazons are ruthless"?

Yippeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! :grin-square:
 
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JimGinPhx

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I had the pleasure of seeing Cisero play in 1995 in Portland,Maine.He exuded class.He had such a calm about himself.His stroke was beautiful to see.Very long,with a pronounced hesitation at the end of the backswing.He was a joy to watch.
 
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robyn_cuyler

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Cisero Murphy Pool Cue

So, I happened to inherit a pool cue from my Dad who got it from Cisero Murphy. Anyways, I would like to sell it. I believe it is made by George Balabushka. Well, if anyone is interested in buying it, please let me know. It is believed to be one in a set of 10 that a museum in Ohio has. That museum offered us 30,000 for it, but my sisters and I were being sentimental at the time and didnt want to sell. I was told it is worth more. Well, I guess just pass the word along and see if anyone is interested. It has Cisero's signature at the bottom and has a 1/2 foot of ivort at the end of the cue. Thanks!
 
ShootingArts

ShootingArts

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take a few pictures . . .

robyn_cuyler said:
So, I happened to inherit a pool cue from my Dad who got it from Cisero Murphy. Anyways, I would like to sell it. I believe it is made by George Balabushka. Well, if anyone is interested in buying it, please let me know. It is believed to be one in a set of 10 that a museum in Ohio has. That museum offered us 30,000 for it, but my sisters and I were being sentimental at the time and didnt want to sell. I was told it is worth more. Well, I guess just pass the word along and see if anyone is interested. It has Cisero's signature at the bottom and has a 1/2 foot of ivort at the end of the cue. Thanks!
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Take a few pictures and put it in the wanted and for sale section.

Hu
 
Yancey

Yancey

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Fast Lenny,

Thanks for posting those Cicero and Lassiter Youtube of one of the World Championships. It brought back so many memories for me. THE person that I looked up to as a teenager in my early pool years was Lassiter, who use to come in to George Baker's Pool Hall in Fuquay Springs, now called Fuquay Varina NC back in the 60's. He would often play a prominent resident's son for some great money matches ALL night. I personally never saw anyone play as good for the cash. Luther in my opinion was one of the all time greats under pressure.

Regardless, I will never forget the conversations we had, as a young boy, I was in awe of his skill. He was one of the people that I most tried to play like but never will even come close to. He was as great a person as he was a player!
 
Rich93

Rich93

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JAM said:
I am trying to locate an EXACT date of birth and an EXACT date when James "Cisero" Murphy passed. TIA!
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Well, I took this as a challenge, and I think the year of birth commonly given for Cisero - 1937 - might be wrong. The Social Security Death Index is usually the best source for exact dates of birth and death (people don't underestimate their age to Social Security).

Unfortunately, I find no plausible listing for Cisero under the Murphys who were born in 1937 and died in 1996. But I did find a listing for a C. Murphy born on October 2, 1935 who died in April 1996 (usually an exact date of death is given but not in this case). Try as I might, I could not find Cisero's date or month of death to see if it was April. His social security number was issued in New York but "last residence" was blank. His social security number is given, but I doubt if anyone could verify it.

I think 1935 might be right because a NY Times article dated March 22, 1965 described him as a "29 year old Negro from Brooklyn". If he had been born on October 2, 1935, he would have been 29 when the article was written.

This assumes that he had a social security number. I'm pretty sure he must have. If he ever worked in the above-ground economy he would have had to have one. I suspect he obtained it when he had to, in his later years when employers would have insisted on it.

This could be all wrong, but if someone knows the month in which he died and it's April, I think he would be the C. Murphy that I found. For all we know, relatives might have been guessing about his year of birth.
 
J

JAM

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Rich93 said:
Well, I took this as a challenge, and I think the year of birth commonly given for Cisero - 1937 - might be wrong. The Social Security Death Index is usually the best source for exact dates of birth and death (people don't underestimate their age to Social Security).

Unfortunately, I find no plausible listing for Cisero under the Murphys who were born in 1937 and died in 1996. But I did find a listing for a C. Murphy born on October 2, 1935 who died in April 1996 (usually an exact date of death is given but not in this case). Try as I might, I could not find Cisero's date or month of death to see if it was April. His social security number was issued in New York but "last residence" was blank. His social security number is given, but I doubt if anyone could verify it.

I think 1935 might be right because a NY Times article dated March 22, 1965 described him as a "29 year old Negro from Brooklyn". If he had been born on October 2, 1935, he would have been 29 when the article was written.

This assumes that he had a social security number. I'm pretty sure he must have. If he ever worked in the above-ground economy he would have had to have one. I suspect he obtained it when he had to, in his later years when employers would have insisted on it.

This could be all wrong, but if someone knows the month in which he died and it's April, I think he would be the C. Murphy that I found. For all we know, relatives might have been guessing about his year of birth.
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Good work. I will see what I can find out on that Social Security Index too. I think you may have pinpointed him for sure.

Interestingly, an old pool buddy of mine actually went to the BCA Hall of Fame with Murphy when he was inducted. He attended the ceremonies with him, and the two of them were good friends. I have been in contact with him, and he does not have the exact date. This friend of mine is also working on gathering data on Henderson, another pool legend.

He did tell me a story that he heard from Murphy's family, though, which was heart-breaking. It is reported that Murphy passed away from a heart failure. I need to find out a little more about the exact cause of death, but it was his heart.

He was driving his car when it happened, on his way to a pool room to meet up with another player. En route, he was pulled over by a policeman. The policeman gave him a very hard time, really put him through the ringer, but the policeman couldn't find anything to book him with. So he released him back to his car, and several minutes later, as Murphy was driving, his heart gave out. He passed away while driving and never did make it to the pool room. :frown:
 
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