I once watched him play a match in Huntsville, Allabama against Johnny Tona. Mizerak finished the match with a score of minus 1 after only one inning at the table. Johnny had over a 100 ball run. This was around 1986.
I played with Johnny Tona at his own room in Huntsville in 1990. Tona was already about 65 years old then. He traveled for Brunswick in the 50s and early 60s courtesy of Mosconi- they were friends. Tona was a GREAT 14.1 player - a Sicilian - also played country western fiddle a a professional - how is that for a life's work- pool player and country western musician- and Sicilian to boot! He told me stories of him playing with Mizerak in the 80s Tona's standard gambling game in 14.1 was that he played you 100 to 40 points. I NEVER beat him at that game!
Sad story he told me- his wife hustled HIM out of his own house when she hooked up with a Real Estate broker and they sold the house from under him via title scheme- he lost everything in 1988- he ended up selling his Balabushka that Irving Crane had made for him by George for $5,000 in 1988- needed the money- played with a Falcon cue after that, Johnny played in the 1989 US OPEN 14.1 in Chicago- that is where I met him. Real nice guy- would gamble big 9 ball as well in his home room in the 1980s.