Any jean balukas matches against men or even complete matches in the womens tour?

trinacria

in efren we trust
Silver Member
YouTube is short on her videos, theres a couple of her as a child and two or three short pieces of matches. from the short videos I saw you can tell her stroke is above and beyond any other female pro, she was definitely in par with the male competition of her time.
 

lfigueroa

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
YouTube is short on her videos, theres a couple of her as a child and two or three short pieces of matches. from the short videos I saw you can tell her stroke is above and beyond any other female pro, she was definitely in par with the male competition of her time.


I saw a video of her playing a tournament match and she was a monster.

Played like a man and I mean that as a compliment.

Lou Figueroa
 

Maniac

2manyQ's
Silver Member
There's probably no video of her playing men when she was in her prime because there was probably no man that would have allowed it to be videotaped. What brash, cocky, macho kind of man would want to take a chance of his ass being handed to him by a woman back in those days and have it on film for the whole world to see?

Maniac
 

trinacria

in efren we trust
Silver Member
There's probably no video of her playing men when she was in her prime because there was probably no man that would have allowed it to be videotaped. What brash, cocky, macho kind of man would want to take a chance of his ass being handed to him by a woman back in those days and have it on film for the whole world to see?

Maniac

her Wikipedia says she played televised matches with a few men. that's why im asking if maybe theres a recording of them
 

sjm

Older and Wiser
Silver Member
I don't know of any such recordings. The WPBA goes back to the mid-1970's, but to my knowledge, only the current form of the WPBA, called the classic tour, had televised matches. Unfortunately, the classic tour didn't begin until 1992, about three years after Jean retired from competition.

There were matches with Jean on ABC Wide World of Sports in a series called "the battle of the sexes." She played against Minnesota Fats, Ray Martin and Steve Mizerak on three different dates in the late 1970's and early 1980's. It would seem that these matches are your best bet to find good footage of her playing in her prime. Perhaps you should contact ABC Sports.

I saw Jean play often and have even played against her. In the 1980's, in straight pool, she was, in my opinion, better than all but the best twenty five men, and much, much better than all the women of her day. At nine ball, she had the power and the stroke that the men had, and no woman since has shown that kind of stroke, not even Jasmin Ouschan.

Jean was a world class athlete, a great basketball player encouraged by some to try out for the women's Olympic basketball team. She is also the most competitive woman I've ever met. She was one of a kind.
 
Last edited:

one stroke

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I don't know of any such recordings. The WPBA goes back to the mid-1970's, but to my knowledge, only the current form of the WPBA, called the classic tour, had televised matches. Unfortunately, the classic tour didn't begin until 1992, about three years after Jean retired from competition.

There were matches with Jean on ABC Wide World of Sports in a series called "the battle of the sexes." She played against Minnesota Fats, Ray Martin and Steve Mizerak on three different dates in the late 1970's and early 1980's. It would seem that these matches are your best bet to find good footage of her playing in her prime. Perhaps you should contact ABC Sports.

I saw Jean play often and have even played against her. In the 1980's, in straight pool, she was, in my opinion, better than all but the best twenty five men, and much, much better than all the women of her day. At nine ball, she had the power and the stroke that the men had, and no woman since has shown that kind of stroke, not even Jasmin Ouschan.

Jean was a world class athlete, a great basketball player encouraged by some to try out for the women's Olympic basketball team. She is also the most competitive woman I've ever met. She was one of a kind.

She was one of a kind in her time for sure ,, In today's comparison for the power game I think Kelly Fisher best suits that comparison as to who might give the Top Men problems on a regular basis Siming Chen is someone no man has to like in a world that many women compete with the men so the men are not as flustered playing a woman as they were then

1
 
Last edited:

trinacria

in efren we trust
Silver Member
I don't know of any such recordings. The WPBA goes back to the mid-1970's, but to my knowledge, only the current form of the WPBA, called the classic tour, had televised matches. Unfortunately, the classic tour didn't begin until 1992, about three years after Jean retired from competition.

There were matches with Jean on ABC Wide World of Sports in a series called "the battle of the sexes." She played against Minnesota Fats, Ray Martin and Steve Mizerak on three different dates in the late 1970's and early 1980's. It would seem that these matches are your best bet to find good footage of her playing in her prime. Perhaps you should contact ABC Sports.

I saw Jean play often and have even played against her. In the 1980's, in straight pool, she was, in my opinion, better than all but the best twenty five men, and much, much better than all the women of her day. At nine ball, she had the power and the stroke that the men had, and no woman since has shown that kind of stroke, not even Jasmin Ouschan.

Jean was a world class athlete, a great basketball player encouraged by some to try out for the women's Olympic basketball team. She is also the most competitive woman I've ever met. She was one of a kind.

I doubt I can get ABC to give me recordings unless I spin it with a feminist thing or some shit that im doing. might send out an email. might get lucky.
 

jay helfert

Shoot Pool, not people
Gold Member
Silver Member
If you look on my website (jayhelfert.com) I have the unedited final match of the 1987 Classic Cup match between Jean and Ewa Mataya. It was a very good match as I recall and I did commentary for the local TV network that showed it originally.
 

measureman

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
The first and only time I saw Jean play was in the late 80's at a weekly 9 ball tournament at West End in Elizabeth N.J.
I was really pumped up to watch this legend.
Her first match was against Jimmy Fusco.

It was a great disappointment.
Jean played terrible and Jimmy smoked her.

But the tournament it self was great.
I was going to play in it until I saw the field.
Neptune Joe Frady
Jimmy Fusco
Pete Fusco
Jean Balukas
Tom Storm
Allan Hopkins
Johnny Ervilino
And a few other killers.

thats quite a line up for a weekly event.
 

Maniac

2manyQ's
Silver Member
But the tournament it self was great.
I was going to play in it until I saw the field.
Neptune Joe Frady
Jimmy Fusco
Pete Fusco
Jean Balukas
Tom Storm
Allan Hopkins
Johnny Ervilino
And a few other killers.

thats quite a line up for a weekly event.

Never pass up the chance to mix it up with the "big boys" (or girls). There can be lessons learned by playing them. ;)

Maniac
 

skogstokig

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
The first and only time I saw Jean play was in the late 80's at a weekly 9 ball tournament at West End in Elizabeth N.J.
I was really pumped up to watch this legend.
Her first match was against Jimmy Fusco.

It was a great disappointment.
Jean played terrible and Jimmy smoked her.

But the tournament it self was great.
I was going to play in it until I saw the field.
Neptune Joe Frady
Jimmy Fusco
Pete Fusco
Jean Balukas
Tom Storm
Allan Hopkins
Johnny Ervilino
And a few other killers.

thats quite a line up for a weekly event.

who won?

storm must have been one of the first euros on the american pool scene? i'm probably wrong and forgetting someone obvious
 

jasonlaus

Rep for Smorg
Silver Member
She was one of a kind in her time for sure ,, In today's comparison for the power game I think Kelly Fisher best suits that comparison as to who might give the Top Men problems on a regular basis Siming Chen is someone no man has to like in a world that many women compete with the men so the men are not as flustered playing a woman as they were then

1

I'm taking Siming over Kelly every time they play, and I'd love to find somebody that likes to gamble and wants Kelly's side.

Jason<----could retire off this matchup.
 

sjm

Older and Wiser
Silver Member
I'm taking Siming over Kelly every time they play, and I'd love to find somebody that likes to gamble and wants Kelly's side.

Jason<----could retire off this matchup.

Agreed here. Han Yu vs Siming Chen is a coin toss, but every other woman in the world has to play catch up with these two, who seem to trade the number 1 world ranking back and forth. Jean Balukas broke as well as the men at nine ball, but neither Siming Chen nor Han Yu have big breaks, so I just can't see them beating the elite men very often at nine ball the way Jean could.
 
Top