How Good Did Keith McCready Really Play?

[cueman]

Keith,
Have you ever matched up with Vernon Elliott from the Chattanooga area? If so how did it go? Do you know any other top players that matched up with him? How did those matches go? Thanks for any imput as there are not many hard facts available about this local legend.
Chris

 

[Keith McCready]

Keith,
Have you ever matched up with Vernon Elliott from the Chattanooga area? If so how did it go? Do you know any other top players that matched up with him? How did those matches go? Thanks for any imput as there are not many hard facts available about this local legend.
Chris

Cueman, I'll never forget the time that I was in Knoxville at the World's Fair and decided to go out hustling pool. I walked in this bar and asked if anybody wanted to play some pool, and there happened to sit Vernon Elliott.

I didn't know him at the time, but I sure got to know him after we got up and played. We started out playing 50 a game and ended up going to 100 a game, and he run 7 racks on me and broke me. Vernon never missed a ball.

He was one of the best bar table players in the country at that time. After that, I saw him gambling in Detroit, and then I really got to see his game. What a player, and he could really play for the money. The higher, the better.

 

[hemicudas]

Cueman, I'll never forget the time that I was in Knoxville at the World's Fair and decided to go out hustling pool. I walked in this bar and asked if anybody wanted to play some pool, and there happened to sit Vernon Elliott.

I didn't know him at the time, but I sure got to know him after we got up and played. We started out playing 50 a game and ended up going to 100 a game, and he run 7 racks on me and broke me. Vernon never missed a ball.

He was one of the best bar table players in the country at that time. After that, I saw him gambling in Detroit, and then I really got to see his game. What a player, and he could really play for the money. The higher, the better.

That is the line I had on Vernon, Keith. I have just been informed by one of my greatest friends that I did witness Vernon in action in Memphis at Richard Austin's pool room in the mid 70s. My good friend ran the pool room for Richard then. I, at the time did not know this farmer looking gentleman was Vernon Elliott. He was being spotted the 7 ball by Louie Roberts and yes, Louie went broke. My friend also informed me that Louie should have been GETTING the 7 ball to have a chance. As I remember, Vernon played just well enough to get the money. At the time there were many players in the country that could have beaten Louie with the 7 ball and though Vernon did win and I knew he played better than I did, he laid it down just well enough that I was not extremely impressed. That has to be why he made so much money. As Keith has said, he turned it on playing him because he had to, I'm sure but it is a true gift to win the cash and yet not impress the rail.

 

[cueman]

Great posts Keith and Hemicudas. I appreciate you guys sharing those times with us. If you find more facts about Vernon I would like to have them. If anyone deserves to be in the road warrior type articles the pool mags write it is surely him. He is in bad shape now in a wheel chair, so becoming known won't hurt his action and I would like to see him get a little of the reconition one of the better little known players deserves.