Ex-World 14.1 Champion Tom Jennings

Mr441

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I was talking with a friend about past 14.1 champions and he mentioned a man named Tom or Pete Jennings I think. He said that Jennings had won the world 14.1 title twice in the 1970's. I had to admit I never heard of this player. I would think that I would have seen his name mentioned before since he supposedly won not one but two world titles back in the 1970's with all those tough fields they had back then. Does anyone know of him? How good was he compared to Sigel, Varner, Martin etc?
 

Mr441

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Here you go...properly footnoted and all!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Jennings_(pool_player)

But it was the US Open, not the World Championship.

Ron F

Thanks for the link. Very impressive comeback he had against Lane.
I still can't believe that a man who won back to back U.S. Open Championships in never mentioned...there are a lot of great players who have never won a U.S. Open or World Championship and are household names.
 

topcat1953

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Tom Jennings

As a spectator and fan these are a reflection my memories of times past.

I had attended the first PPPA World 14.1 Championship, 1976, that was held at the Asbury Park Convention Center, on the Boardwalk. It was a bit of a historic event as it was a break away for the Professional Poolplayers who were not happy with the particular goings on at the BCA. It was a fascinating tournament and there was a lot of scuttle-butt running around because this event was held on the same dates as the 1976 BCA U.S. Open. Tom Jennings won the U.S. Open and Larry Liscotti won the PPPA World Title. Subsequently, Liscotti then defeated Jennings in a 1000 challenge match for the undisputed World Championship.
As the 1977 PPPA World Championship approached, Tom Jennings was being refered to by the PPPA players as bogus champion, because all the good players were at their tournament in 1976. I believe Jennings entered the 1977 PPPA tournament because these PPPA players were calling him out, so to speak. When he arrived at the tournament, he was a marked man, as he was sort of refered to as the BCA poster boy.
After Jennings won his first couple of matches, he was scheduled to meet Ray Martin, who was one of the more vocal PPPA members who was poo-pooing Jennings. The matches were 150 pointers. Jennings forged a huge lead on Martin and was in the 140's to Martin having maybe 30. As I watched that match, I remember how huge of an upset this was going to be and how cool Jennings was about the fever surrounding his play.
Slowly, "the Cool Cat" Ray Martin is winning safe battles and making his way back into the match. Martin, with his cat-like smile, is working the table and Jennings at the same time. Tom's body language was definately not good as he was slumping evermore into his chair.
As you might guess Martin won the match and with the eruption of cheers, you would have thought it was for the title.
Tom did not look good after that match and lost his match, too.
Tom did go on to win the U.S. Open later, with his thrilling comeback. maybe he learned a lesson from the Martin match.
The following Summer, 1978, the PPPA Tournament moved to New York City. Wouldn't you know a couple rounds into the tournament. It's a Martin-Jennings rematch. Again, Jennings is up over 100 balls and needs less than a rack to win.
Unfortunately for him, it was an agonizing repeat from the year before. Ray Martin went on to win that Tournament and become the World Champion.
Tom Jennings went on to lose his next match and was not heard of much, in the pool world again.
My impression of Tom was that he played as well as any of the players. Although, I think he was a nice guy versus the killer instinct guys in those tournaments.
I often wondered about him and what happened?
He was very talented on the pool table.
 

Ron F

Ron F
Silver Member
Topcat!

Topcat - now those are the types of stories I can listen to for hours and hours and hours... Thank you so much for posting!

Ron F
 
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Mr441

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Thanks for the story Topcat, I agree with the other poster, I can listen to those kinds of stories all day.
 

pdcue

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
As a spectator and fan these are a reflection my memories of times past.

I had attended the first PPPA World 14.1 Championship, 1976, that was held at the Asbury Park Convention Center, on the Boardwalk. It was a bit of a historic event as it was a break away for the Professional Poolplayers who were not happy with the particular goings on at the BCA. It was a fascinating tournament and there was a lot of scuttle-butt running around because this event was held on the same dates as the 1976 BCA U.S. Open. Tom Jennings won the U.S. Open and Larry Liscotti won the PPPA World Title. Subsequently, Liscotti then defeated Jennings in a 1000 challenge match for the undisputed World Championship.
As the 1977 PPPA World Championship approached, Tom Jennings was being refered to by the PPPA players as bogus champion, because all the good players were at their tournament in 1976. I believe Jennings entered the 1977 PPPA tournament because these PPPA players were calling him out, so to speak. When he arrived at the tournament, he was a marked man, as he was sort of refered to as the BCA poster boy.
After Jennings won his first couple of matches, he was scheduled to meet Ray Martin, who was one of the more vocal PPPA members who was poo-pooing Jennings. The matches were 150 pointers. Jennings forged a huge lead on Martin and was in the 140's to Martin having maybe 30. As I watched that match, I remember how huge of an upset this was going to be and how cool Jennings was about the fever surrounding his play.
Slowly, "the Cool Cat" Ray Martin is winning safe battles and making his way back into the match. Martin, with his cat-like smile, is working the table and Jennings at the same time. Tom's body language was definately not good as he was slumping evermore into his chair.
As you might guess Martin won the match and with the eruption of cheers, you would have thought it was for the title.
Tom did not look good after that match and lost his match, too.
Tom did go on to win the U.S. Open later, with his thrilling comeback. maybe he learned a lesson from the Martin match.
The following Summer, 1978, the PPPA Tournament moved to New York City. Wouldn't you know a couple rounds into the tournament. It's a Martin-Jennings rematch. Again, Jennings is up over 100 balls and needs less than a rack to win.
Unfortunately for him, it was an agonizing repeat from the year before. Ray Martin went on to win that Tournament and become the World Champion.
Tom Jennings went on to lose his next match and was not heard of much, in the pool world again.
My impression of Tom was that he played as well as any of the players. Although, I think he was a nice guy versus the killer instinct guys in those tournaments.
I often wondered about him and what happened?
He was very talented on the pool table.

I was at the tourney in Dayton. It was a very impressive comeback -
but to be honest, Lane pulled a total El Foldo. Still, Jennings hung in
and never gave up.

I saw him many years later at some random bar box tourny - he was
a nice guy, very approachable. Quite the contrast to many top players.

As to ability - he was an awesome 14.1 player, but had zero chance
against Miz, Sigel, Martin, Varner, West, Hopkins, etc.

The only reason he got within swinging distance of the champiomship,
was because all the top players had bolted to the PPPA. Realistically,
he was a solid bet to finish somewhere below the top 20.

One significant difference, pool was only a sideline for him.
IIRC - When he won the US Open titles, he was still pursuing
a PhD in Mathematics. Last I heard, he got the degree
and was teaching Calculus at a small college.
Not too shabby for a run-100-everyday level player.

Dale
 
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sjm

Older and Wiser
Silver Member
I was at the tourney in Dayton. It was a very impressive comeback -
but to be honest, Lane pulled a total El Foldo. Still, Jennings hung in
and never gave up.

I saw him many years later at some random bar box tourny - he was
a nice guy, very approachable. Quite the contrast to many top players.

As to ability - he was an awesome 14.1 player, but had zero chance
against Miz, Sigel, Martin, Varner, West, Hopkins, etc.

The only reason he got within swinging distance of the champiomship,
was because all the top players had bolted to the PPPA. Realistically,
he was a solid bet to finish somewhere below the top 20.

One significant difference, pool was only a sideline for him.
IIRC - When he won the US Open titles, he was still pursuing
a PhD in Mathematics. Last I heard, he got the degree
and was teaching Calculus at a small college.
Not too shabby for a run-100-everyday level player.

Dale

First of all, Jennings taught mathematics at Middlesex County College in New Jersey. Remarkably, he was not the best pool shooting New Jersey educator, as a couple of exits down the highway was an english teacher named Mizerak.

I think you're underrating Tom a bit. Of course, his play was not on a par with the superstars of the late 70's (Martin, Hopkins, Mizerak, Sigel, Varner, DiLiberto, West, Balsis) and even a hair below some of the other great players of that period (for example, Butera, Rempe, Margo). Tom was probably as good as anyone else, perhaps on a par with guys like Jack Colavita and Jim Fusco. Tom was never a guy you wanted to see in your draw. He did have some successes over premier fields, winning several events on the Eastern States tour (the predecessor of the All About Pool Tour and, arguably, an ancestor of the Joss tour), and most of the great ones competed on the Eastern States tour in the late 1970's.

I, too, was at Asbury Park in both 1976 and 1977. It's my considered opinion that the jeering had little to do with Jennings' lack of credentials and everything to do with the ill feelings that resulted from the break in the professional ranks in 1976 that resulted in the formation of the rival PPPA tour. Ray Martin, it should be noted, was President of the PPPA in the late 1970's and was among its founding members, so the fact that he was so demonstrative in his matches with Tom was hardly surprising.
 
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14oneman

Straight, no chaser!
Silver Member
Great story Topcat! Thanks for sharing.

I grew up on the Jersey Shore, and remember when they held those events, as Asbury was a 20 minute ride from the house I grew up in.

Lots of memories.
 

sausage

Banned
yeah, great story. i saw in the stats in the back of Fat's book that lane lost that match but i did not know what a heartbreaker it must have been for him to be leading 196–42 and lose.
 
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