WE LOST ONE OF THE BEST PLAYERS EVER ON APRIL 14th 2006,he played all games,9 ball,one pocket,ect.He could gamble with the best of them,played for as high as you could stand,the higher the better for him because he did not care about money.Denny was an honerable man and would never throw his backers in the creek.I knew Denny for 20 years while he live in charlotte,i consider him the best friend i ever had.Harry Panos and Malcolm Beamon staked Denny to the moon and were rewarded with more money than they can count.I know the younger crowd on here probaly doesn't know who Denny was,and that's unfortuant.I promise you the players today could not hold Denny'cue(he played with a Richard Black).I guess I posted this thread so the pool world will never forget one of the greatest players that ever lived.......THANK YOU DENNY YOU NEVER BE FORGOTTEN.
6 years ago today we lost denny searcy
- Thread starter ktrunout
- Start date
You're a good friend.
For more information about Denny's passing, click here.
The stories about Denny are legendary. Someone described his stroke as so smooth it would make your mouth water. Too bad I didn't see much of his game at his peak.
denny
denny was a great player and friend every time i come to charlotte he say hi how have you been i learned a lot from him about pool he is missed rest in peace my friend:thumbup:
denny was a great player and friend every time i come to charlotte he say hi how have you been i learned a lot from him about pool he is missed rest in peace my friend:thumbup:
In the mid 60's the eastbay pool halls all closed by 1am, we would jump in the car and head for Frisco, Cockrans pool room, it never closed.
Many nights I watched Denny on that 6x12 payball table, 5,6,7 handed games, playing for $5/10, $20/40, one night $50/100 great action.
Denny, Ronnie Barber & Smilie those guys were always in the action.
Thanks for the memories Denny.
Dale
Crystal Palace
Ran into him as a young man is SF on Market Street 1970, before the Bart even broke ground. It was upstairs, about one or two landings and about 26 steps up or more. All the walls were lined with mirrors. I laid the lemon, came off the lemon, and gave this guy my aide $$$$$. Next time I saw him was in a ring game in Burlington Iowa @ the Courtney/Coffee event, at a gym??? along the mississippi river. You could walk upstairs and look down upon the tables and matches. The promoters stiffed the players, but I do remember Rempe smelling a rat, he went to the gate and of course the gals suspected the check was good and cashed it, I too cashed before Jimmy and got paid, many didn't.
I also remember Cochrans on Market street, again up the stairs to the second flooor, but you had to knock on the door, the man behind the glass would ck you out and let you in if you were a player or local. I'll never forget this old man sitting on this bench by the exhaust fan (fan was a good 3 foot square), and this brother was selling em a joint (75 cents), all I remember is the buyer saying to the street hustler, ''don't give me know seeds man'', and he said it more than once. At that time in SF in this room it was ok to smoke pot, but you had to be seated by the exhaust fan.
Ronnie Barber was a good 4x8 big ball bartable player in SF then, and Rich Marquez's family was part of the bartenders union, I worked a spell at the original Henry Africas on Van Ness as a bartender, only place I ever made a tom collins by cracking an egg, removing the yellow and used the yolk in a blender to froth up the drink.
Ironically a few yrs later, Ronnie and Rich both were living in Colo. Springs, boy I'm sure Grady could tell ya a few good stories about those guys.
Ran into him as a young man is SF on Market Street 1970, before the Bart even broke ground. It was upstairs, about one or two landings and about 26 steps up or more. All the walls were lined with mirrors. I laid the lemon, came off the lemon, and gave this guy my aide $$$$$. Next time I saw him was in a ring game in Burlington Iowa @ the Courtney/Coffee event, at a gym??? along the mississippi river. You could walk upstairs and look down upon the tables and matches. The promoters stiffed the players, but I do remember Rempe smelling a rat, he went to the gate and of course the gals suspected the check was good and cashed it, I too cashed before Jimmy and got paid, many didn't.
I also remember Cochrans on Market street, again up the stairs to the second flooor, but you had to knock on the door, the man behind the glass would ck you out and let you in if you were a player or local. I'll never forget this old man sitting on this bench by the exhaust fan (fan was a good 3 foot square), and this brother was selling em a joint (75 cents), all I remember is the buyer saying to the street hustler, ''don't give me know seeds man'', and he said it more than once. At that time in SF in this room it was ok to smoke pot, but you had to be seated by the exhaust fan.
Ronnie Barber was a good 4x8 big ball bartable player in SF then, and Rich Marquez's family was part of the bartenders union, I worked a spell at the original Henry Africas on Van Ness as a bartender, only place I ever made a tom collins by cracking an egg, removing the yellow and used the yolk in a blender to froth up the drink.
Ironically a few yrs later, Ronnie and Rich both were living in Colo. Springs, boy I'm sure Grady could tell ya a few good stories about those guys.
I was around Denny for a couple of years in the late 1960's. This man had an incredible talent with a cue stick. He played all games and was especially deadly on the snooker table.
If I was asked to compare his style with another player I would say that he and Jay Swanson (Swanee) had the same style. Both always looked so calm and smooth at the table. Kind of looked like they were just practicing, no matter what game they were in.
If I was asked to compare his style with another player I would say that he and Jay Swanson (Swanee) had the same style. Both always looked so calm and smooth at the table. Kind of looked like they were just practicing, no matter what game they were in.
Hands down the BEST Pay Ball player I ever saw. I heard Cliff Thorburn was his equal, and maybe that's why they went on the road together way back when. Denny made shots on that 6x12 that you could try later, taking forty or fifty tries and never come close. And you could try it with ball-in-hand and he swished these kind of shot from all over the table. NO ONE ever shot a ball down the rail on that big snooker table like Denny. I've never seen his equal ANYWHERE!
He feared no man at any game! And no one wanted much of him, from Cornbread to Cooney, from Kelly to Hall, and from Sigel to Strickland. Denny couldn't play Ronnie or Marvin even at One Pocket and there was a very short list of guys who could play Denny even at 9-Ball: Bernie Schwartz, Billy Incardona, Richie Florence, Craig Stevens and Wade Crane are about all who come to mind. In that era I'd probably say that only Bernie may have been a favorite over Denny. No one really felt comfortable being in the box with Denny. He put the heat on you from start to finish, and you couldn't out-bet him.
Denny was one of the quietest players I ever saw as well, rarely uttering a word unless it was absolutely necessary. You might hear him say things like, "Okay" when someone asked him to raise the bet or, "You owe me one" if they forgot to pay for a game. He was what I would call a very efficient player, no wasted motion of any kind. Just walk in, play the best player in the joint for the most money possible, WIN, and then leave just as quickly. More than one player might have thought to themselves, "Who was that masked man?" like he was the Lone Ranger.
He feared no man at any game! And no one wanted much of him, from Cornbread to Cooney, from Kelly to Hall, and from Sigel to Strickland. Denny couldn't play Ronnie or Marvin even at One Pocket and there was a very short list of guys who could play Denny even at 9-Ball: Bernie Schwartz, Billy Incardona, Richie Florence, Craig Stevens and Wade Crane are about all who come to mind. In that era I'd probably say that only Bernie may have been a favorite over Denny. No one really felt comfortable being in the box with Denny. He put the heat on you from start to finish, and you couldn't out-bet him.
Denny was one of the quietest players I ever saw as well, rarely uttering a word unless it was absolutely necessary. You might hear him say things like, "Okay" when someone asked him to raise the bet or, "You owe me one" if they forgot to pay for a game. He was what I would call a very efficient player, no wasted motion of any kind. Just walk in, play the best player in the joint for the most money possible, WIN, and then leave just as quickly. More than one player might have thought to themselves, "Who was that masked man?" like he was the Lone Ranger.
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And since we are singing Denny's praises playing all games well, he also played pretty good 3-cushion. I had the pleasure of playing him 1 game to 25 for $200 at the Rack in the early 70's. I ended up edging him out in that game & didn't really know who I was playing until it was over & I was told. Boy he had a sweet stroke. I would have loved to see him play on the snooker table...sorry I missed that!
RIP Denny.
Dave
RIP Denny.
Dave
I don't know how it finished out, but in Burlington IA (boy was it damp there) there was a 10 ball ring game, Bob Osborne, Mataya, Searcy and one or two others. Bob had a new Green Volvo wagon, had to hock it to stay in the game, they played thru the night and into the next day, I think 2-300 a game with a few good players poppin' in and OUT of that game. I know bob didn't lose his car, Searcy didn't bust the game, but Mataya, went to bed, came back later (8hrs or so) and busted the game. Those guys, once in action did not like to stop, but the damp/tight pocketed table did wear em out. Never did see Denny much after that, did he ever play in any tourneys? feels like he didn't .
1984 give or take a year, a friend of mine from asheville called said he was coming down with a player to take to a spot i knew about in little havana.
the cocaine cowboys loved to play chicago on the barbox.
that player he brought down here was denny searcy, he made us a lot of money that weekend.
also took jimmy reid, bobby williams, grover lines and others down there, never booked a loser.
the cocaine cowboys loved to play chicago on the barbox.
that player he brought down here was denny searcy, he made us a lot of money that weekend.
also took jimmy reid, bobby williams, grover lines and others down there, never booked a loser.
I don't suppose your friend was Jerry Bagwell?
did he used to hang out with blacky? i know jerry.
Am I mis-remembering or didn't he have the slightest, almost imperceptible slip of the grip hand going back?
I saw him all over the Silicon Valley in the early 70's, and he seemed to be universally liked and admired. In those early years he used a National cue.
In most of the local 9 ball tournaments, it was usually Searcey or DalPorto for the money.