This was a great thread when I read it in 2006...reread it last January, and reread it again today. RIP Cole Dixon...
Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
Cole Dickson Story
- Thread starter rackmsuckr
- Start date
Linda- you mentioned a gent by the name of Ermin , I remember an Ermin Bullard who ran with Hawian Brian back in the mid 70's--he played pretty good, but not Brian's Speed and was from the midwest--just a thought--as stated before--I don't think I will ever get tired of reading this thread over and over agian--parts of it I have copied and posted to old freinds that I traveled with back when and I know they will want more of this when they read of the goings on that happen ,,,back when,,,
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RIP Cole
I had only heard a little about Cole Dickson being a great player, never saw him at the time. I was at the McDermott open in 1991. 128 of the top players of the day were there. It was a who’s who of players you read about in any pool magazine of the 80’s. The World Open was happening the in a couple of week so some of the top European pool players were in the US for the first time playing it. Johnny Archer was like 17 the kid wonder they said…. Every match seemed to be a marquee match-up. On one table Louie Lemke was playing Mike Sigel others matches were Varner & Rempe, Mizerek & Jeff Carter, Earl Strickland & Buddy Hall, Cornbread Red & Alan Hopkins. Your head could spin trying to watch matches. You could sit anywhere in the main tournament area and watch these matches all at the same time and each of had modest spectators. The biggest gallery of spectators the most combined was over in the obscure corner of tournament room. It was standing room only, rows deep, trying to look over people shoulders to see. All the attention in the room was there, despite all the hall of famers playing across the room. They were there watching Cole Dickson warming up before his match. Many had not seen him play in years. It seemed that all those people had seen him play at some time in their life’s. His reputation was huge. These were people from all over the country that had seen him play somewhere in some little Town hustling or Johnson City and were really impressed with his play. I had seen him play since and even played against him in North Dakota. I talked to him about local Northwest stories, all were confirmed.
I had only heard a little about Cole Dickson being a great player, never saw him at the time. I was at the McDermott open in 1991. 128 of the top players of the day were there. It was a who’s who of players you read about in any pool magazine of the 80’s. The World Open was happening the in a couple of week so some of the top European pool players were in the US for the first time playing it. Johnny Archer was like 17 the kid wonder they said…. Every match seemed to be a marquee match-up. On one table Louie Lemke was playing Mike Sigel others matches were Varner & Rempe, Mizerek & Jeff Carter, Earl Strickland & Buddy Hall, Cornbread Red & Alan Hopkins. Your head could spin trying to watch matches. You could sit anywhere in the main tournament area and watch these matches all at the same time and each of had modest spectators. The biggest gallery of spectators the most combined was over in the obscure corner of tournament room. It was standing room only, rows deep, trying to look over people shoulders to see. All the attention in the room was there, despite all the hall of famers playing across the room. They were there watching Cole Dickson warming up before his match. Many had not seen him play in years. It seemed that all those people had seen him play at some time in their life’s. His reputation was huge. These were people from all over the country that had seen him play somewhere in some little Town hustling or Johnson City and were really impressed with his play. I had seen him play since and even played against him in North Dakota. I talked to him about local Northwest stories, all were confirmed.
I hope Cole's family knows of this thread and the one over at onepocket.org
I know that sounds silly, and I have a hard time believing it but when Bugs died his family said they didn't know he played pool, let alone maybe the greatest banker of all time...
I still have Cole's cell phone number on my phone....
Ken
I know that sounds silly, and I have a hard time believing it but when Bugs died his family said they didn't know he played pool, let alone maybe the greatest banker of all time...
I still have Cole's cell phone number on my phone....
Ken
I first heard about Cole from Dave Piona and then read about him in Playing Off The Rail. Dave McCumber was in Reno with his player (who shall not be named) who came down with the flu. So their only chance to make their nut that week was to take Cole all the way up to Seattle to get another piece of Harry Platis.
On the the way up Cole made Dave pull off the highway and get him in a card game some 250 miles out of their way. Cole told Dave it was a soft spot and would be quick. Harry told them he wanted to play at said time or he was gone so Dave was pretty pissed off about this card game but Cole romanced his way into it.
Not more than 2 hours at this card room and Cole is down to his last 100 and asked Dave to ante up. Dave refuses and gets on Cole's ass about leaving. Cole told him F that were not going anywhere with my money in this place. He hawks his cue to the house for around 3k or so and then wins his money back and an extra thousand. Riding high he wants to stay and Dave grabs him up out of his seat, un-hawks his cue for 3,500 and got back on the road to Seattle to play Platis.
When they got there Dave looked and felt like hammered shit but Cole slept almost the entire way so he was ready. First thing he ask Dave for was some Jack Daniels to settle his nervous. Dave was a little thrown back but got his JD. McCumber had no idea the stone cold gambler he was backing :lol:
Platis walks up to both of them and isnt too pleased to see Dave again (Dave, Tony and the Tooth already got him for 3k on their first stop) but looked at Cole. Platis tight lipped askes, "Tony here???" "Or that bastard Bucktooth???"
"Nope just me and Cole..."
Harry then smiled a big smile and said "Post it up!!!"
JD came up to Dave while Cole was warming up and smiled... "You stalking Cole now??"
"Im here stalking Cole to play Harry that's right..."
"Up here to get another piece of Harry eh??"
"Well now... You picked a real beauty didn't ya Dave??" (cackles as he walks away)
I dont remember the exact amount but I think it was around 3 or 4 thousand playing 1k a game one-pocket. Harry wasn't happy but wasn't mad about losing even though this is the second time McCumber got em.
Dave dropped off Cole in Seattle and then headed back to Hardtimes in Bellflower for a Golf game with two of the deadliest players on this earth...
I must say that Playing off the Rail is by far my favorite pool read so far. The woofing alone had me in stitches and Im glad I got to meet so many of these players. Unfortunately I never got to meet Cole. If he wrote a book about his hustling days it would've been a sensational hit for everybody.....
On the the way up Cole made Dave pull off the highway and get him in a card game some 250 miles out of their way. Cole told Dave it was a soft spot and would be quick. Harry told them he wanted to play at said time or he was gone so Dave was pretty pissed off about this card game but Cole romanced his way into it.
Not more than 2 hours at this card room and Cole is down to his last 100 and asked Dave to ante up. Dave refuses and gets on Cole's ass about leaving. Cole told him F that were not going anywhere with my money in this place. He hawks his cue to the house for around 3k or so and then wins his money back and an extra thousand. Riding high he wants to stay and Dave grabs him up out of his seat, un-hawks his cue for 3,500 and got back on the road to Seattle to play Platis.
When they got there Dave looked and felt like hammered shit but Cole slept almost the entire way so he was ready. First thing he ask Dave for was some Jack Daniels to settle his nervous. Dave was a little thrown back but got his JD. McCumber had no idea the stone cold gambler he was backing :lol:
Platis walks up to both of them and isnt too pleased to see Dave again (Dave, Tony and the Tooth already got him for 3k on their first stop) but looked at Cole. Platis tight lipped askes, "Tony here???" "Or that bastard Bucktooth???"
"Nope just me and Cole..."
Harry then smiled a big smile and said "Post it up!!!"
JD came up to Dave while Cole was warming up and smiled... "You stalking Cole now??"
"Im here stalking Cole to play Harry that's right..."
"Up here to get another piece of Harry eh??"
"Well now... You picked a real beauty didn't ya Dave??" (cackles as he walks away)
I dont remember the exact amount but I think it was around 3 or 4 thousand playing 1k a game one-pocket. Harry wasn't happy but wasn't mad about losing even though this is the second time McCumber got em.
Dave dropped off Cole in Seattle and then headed back to Hardtimes in Bellflower for a Golf game with two of the deadliest players on this earth...
I must say that Playing off the Rail is by far my favorite pool read so far. The woofing alone had me in stitches and Im glad I got to meet so many of these players. Unfortunately I never got to meet Cole. If he wrote a book about his hustling days it would've been a sensational hit for everybody.....
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I hope Cole's family knows of this thread and the one over at onepocket.org
I know that sounds silly, and I have a hard time believing it but when Bugs died his family said they didn't know he played pool, let alone maybe the greatest banker of all time...
I still have Cole's cell phone number on my phone....
Ken
Well you can certainly believe it. I spent a lot of time at the hospital with Bugs and his family in his last few months, and his family, especially his sister, was enraged when she found out he had been elected into the Bank and One Pocket Hall of Fame and none of his family attended or knew about it. Bugs' exact quote was, "They thought I was a gangster."
The exact opposite of that occurred with Javenly "Youngblood" Washington's One Pocket/Bank Pool Hall of Fame Induction. The person who didnt know about the induction was Youngblood himself. His family attended and accepted the reward but nobody knew where Blood was or how to get hold of him. He had not been in contact with his family for years (they were well-to-do by the way).
When Blood died he laid in the morgue, family-unidentified for a few months before a girl who knew him from visiting her coin shop as a collector, and just knew his name and nothing else, looked him up on Google and found a connection with me on my website. She called me and we were able to put the family and his body together to have a real wake for him.
Beard