Ronnie Allen Has Passed

The greatest one pocket player of all time

Really sorry to hear about ra. Talked to him before he moved to las vegas. He taught me how to play one pocket at trueloves pool hall in okc in th 60's. What a great player he was. Rip sparky webb

I never knew Ronnie Allen personally and only saw him play a handfull of times. The 1st time was in the Valley in the mid 60's and I knew very little about the world of pool. But it was easy to see that he was special. In the late 80's I saw him at Hard Times several times. I would go there to watch the gambling on the weekends. I had never seen anything like what went on there it was a subteranean world of its own. I still didn't play pool but what I saw fascinated me. Of all that I saw two people stood out above all the rest by far. Ronnie Allen and Keith McCready. Never have I seen so much talent coupled with funny, outrageous and downright individualistic behavior. I heard all of the negative stories--- didn't matter. Ronnie was Ronnie and Keith was Keith. When you find people like this, and God knows it is so very rare that you do, you just immerse yourself in their moment. The last time I saw Ronnie he came into Hard Times and began playing two guys some 1Hole. Of course. They alternated shots and Ronnie played every other shot one handed. I watched for almost 5 hours and Ronnie never and I mean never stopped talking. Finally Ronnie left with the guys 6K--still talking. I don't let rumors, true or not, spoil my appreciation of unique greatness. RIP and props to you for taking a hiatus to do right by your kids.

His talents seemed to lie where ever he turned. Since the consensus on his age was in the seventies, that puts him being born around the great depression era. Then as a young man WWII was beginning, and ronnie was around all those gals with their boyfriends at war and he still at home. Then the gap before Vietnam when RA Grew Up as a true player, so the hand he was dealt fitted his life between two wars perfectly, and meshed his pool playing life and skills with the greats of the of twenties and thirties. Me being at Johnston city during the Vietnam years was like him being around the likes of Lassiter and that group during the great depression and then WWII. In those days, having an outgoing character definitely helped in life, and to think RA was in his prime then/twice with the ladies, right between two wars,''how they rollin''?

my RA story

last year at the derby i am hitting balls in the action room. well RA and some guy match up right next to the table i'm on(harry platis staking RA). there are no open tables so I offer to give the table up. problem #1 RA has no cue and asks to borrow mine. i agree. i had just cleared the balls off the table and the 30 min limit was up so no balls came to the ball return. before i could stop RA he turns my cue around and is ramming it into the end of the table trying to get the balls out. well by the time i stopped him he had absolutely scratched the heck out of my cue. kicker = it was a brand new diveney i had picked up a couple hours earlier.:frown: anyway nothing a refinish did not fix. just remember RA ramming that cue into the table(valley bar table style). i laugh today thinking about it. RIP RA