HOW GOOD WAS : Jimmy Marino ? 1970s Champion

Shane Jackson

Action Jackson Industries LLC
Silver Member
Im from the pittsburgh area where the famous Jimmy Marino is from. I know he was an all around champion from johnston city back in the 70s...but what is that comparable to now? or How good was he in comparison to players of today?

I guess im just curious because of the rumors in the pittsburgh area about how jimmy was among the most elite of all time, and i want to know the truth behind this legendary players career.

In no way or no form am i knocking jimmy, I respect everything that man has done on what ever scale it was. he has nothing to prove to me or anyone else. I was born to late and wish i couldve seen it and had the ability to play and learn from a player of his status.

thanks in advance for anyone who has any information on this subject.
 
He was a strong player. I think Billy Incardona could probably answer this better than most.

I remember going to a pool room he owned in Pittsburgh. It had bus or theater seats on the rail to sweat the games. I liked his pool room. When I went there, though, I did not see him play. :(

I know Jimmy Reid went out with one of Jimmy Marino's ex-girlfriends, but Jimmy Reid got all the girls. He's just got a nice way about him with the ladies.

He went to Los Angeles and got played by quite a few action players. He played at pool room in L.A. called "Marina Billiards" where Cecil Tugman used to play, but this is going back 30-plus years. Of course, this is also when action was prevalent, much more so than today. :smile:
 
I always heard that Jimmy played jam-up and could play with just about anybody in the '70s and not have to lose. Never saw him play myself so that's just hearsay.
 
He was a strong player. I think Billy Incardona could probably answer this better than most.

I remember going to a pool room he owned in Pittsburgh. It had bus or theater seats on the rail to sweat the games. I liked his pool room. When I went there, though, I did not see him play. :(

I know Jimmy Reid went out with one of Jimmy Marino's ex-girlfriends, but Jimmy Reid got all the girls. He's just got a nice way about him with the ladies.

He went to Los Angeles and got played by quite a few action players. He played at pool room in L.A. called "Marina Billiards" where Cecil Tugman used to play, but this is going back 30-plus years. Of course, this is also when action was prevalent, much more so than today. :smile:

Those seats were from an airline who were switching to lighter aluminum
framed seats.
He also had table lighting that was years ahead of its time..they took a
long time to come on but used very little current.

Jimmy won one of the big ones at Joe Burns' place in Dayton OH....
..those tourneys were known as World Championships.
 
Shane,
I heard a rumor, that your Dad supposedly paid Marino,
to give you lessons when you was younger ,, is there any truth to that ??

I only ask cause its ironic you'd post this topic,
if there was truth to him being your mentor ..
I would think you may of already researched Marino ?!
 
Jimmy was a great player, one of the top players of his era. I would say (I just love to be controversial) there were more good all around players in that era then there are today. By that I mean players who excelled at One Pocket, 9-Ball and Straight Pool. These were the main games of the 60's and 70's. Another interesting thing was that most of the top players back then were gamblers. Of course that may have been out of necessity since there were so few tournaments. Funny how gambling develops so many good players. Just look at the Philippines for proof of that.

Jimmy, Billy and Bernie Schwartz all came out of that same Pittsburgh enclave of players. And Jimmy Rempe wasn't far away.
 
One of the best players of the time, I never see him mentioned much, which is a shame.
I wish there were tournament charts from Joe Burns tournaments in the late 60s and 70s. If anyone has them it would be great if you could post them online.
As I was writing this I realised I have seen some of the old Stardust and a Johnson City tournament sheets that were filled in at least partially, I will see if I can do the same with them.
 
Jimmy was a great player....had a truly awesome stroke.....was a top player of all games....3-cushions billiards also.
Little story....all the best players in Pittsburgh played ring 9-ball or 10-ball in the 80s...road players would stop in and play....but we barred Marino from the games.

One night we were all playing ring 10-ball at Marino's pool room...Jimmy was working the counter...well we played 5 handed and 1 guy drops out...everyone sitting around and someone says...you can play Jimmy.....your not barred...Jimmy says...OK..I'm in....now we're only playing 10 a man....double on a run.

Jimmy's first shot he runs 5 racks and busts the game up...everyone quits and just sit there and don't say a word. 100% true story.

I was one of them...LMAO
Jimmy could really play.
 
Golden state, golden time

I was out there in that Golden State in the Golden Time, the early 70s. My home court was Ye Billiard Den. Marina Billiards, where Jimmy primarily hung out, was but one of many places stocked with the best players in the world. He was known as Hippie Jimmy back then, as was Jimmy Reid who was also out there at that time. There was a little confusion as to who was who, but in the end it didnt make much difference, they both played lights out.

I played Marino often, bank pool only, he often came down to the Billiard Den, and we also hooked up at the open-all-night, Tournament Billiards in the black section of Culver City. He won and I won. I was playing my top speed back then and Jimmy banked pretty crispy.

He went on from there to play as good as anyone in the world for about six months. In 1972 he beat everybody playing 9 Ball for money at Johnson City.

His big-time career was very short, however. After 1972 he wasn't heard from much.

Beard

Unless he picked it up later, Jimmy was never much of a factor playing One pocket. 9 Ball was another story.
 
Old Photo of Jimmy

Old Photo of Jimmy from the Joss Cue Website.
 

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He was a strong player. I think Billy Incardona could probably answer this better than most.

I remember going to a pool room he owned in Pittsburgh. It had bus or theater seats on the rail to sweat the games. I liked his pool room. When I went there, though, I did not see him play. :(

I know Jimmy Reid went out with one of Jimmy Marino's ex-girlfriends, but Jimmy Reid got all the girls. He's just got a nice way about him with the ladies.

He went to Los Angeles and got played by quite a few action players. He played at pool room in L.A. called "Marina Billiards" where Cecil Tugman used to play, but this is going back 30-plus years. Of course, this is also when action was prevalent, much more so than today. :smile:

Jam, Tom vanover played Jimmy back in the 70s in baltimore,Vanover says he beat him, playing 9ball,i wasnt there ,so i didnt see it,wish i was!
 
...and don't forget to mention Marvin Henderson.

One of the greatest One Pocket players of all time, but I thought he was from Detroit. I hung out with him all his years in L.A. What a great character and a fun guy to hang with. I watched him beat Ronnie, right after Ronnie won the world title. To be fair Ronnie tried to get him to match up again but Marvin was too busy enjoying the fruits of his labor! :cool:
 
I think we're on the wrong side.

All I know is one time at a tournament in Birmingham we were betting matches and it was Jimmy Marino vs David Howard....now we had heard of Little David but being new to the scene Jimmy Marino was not someone I had heard of. So we bet a hundred or two and now everyone starts coming up and asking if we wanted to bet more??... Don't look now my friend said----I think we're on the wrong side
 
When Rempe and Marino played in 9-ball match play at Johnston City races to 11, Marino might of been a 11-10 best of it, but it was awful darn close match. Pretty much a pick em.
 
All I know is one time at a tournament in Birmingham we were betting matches and it was Jimmy Marino vs David Howard....now we had heard of Little David but being new to the scene Jimmy Marino was not someone I had heard of. So we bet a hundred or two and now everyone starts coming up and asking if we wanted to bet more??... Don't look now my friend said----I think we're on the wrong side

Do i have to ask who won lol.
 
Old Photo of Jimmy from the Joss Cue Website.

The picture reminds me of the time when Hippie Jimmy Marino was playing in a major straight pool tournament and got called for a foul when his hair touched a ball.
 
Shane,
I heard a rumor, that your Dad supposedly paid Marino,
to give you lessons when you was younger ,, is there any truth to that ??

I only ask cause its ironic you'd post this topic,
if there was truth to him being your mentor ..
I would think you may of already researched Marino ?!

Why are you bustin his bawlz? Even if he met the man and took lessons, there is no indication he would know it all/ so he's askin.

At best, you highlight a personal interest.
 
One of the greatest One Pocket players of all time, but I thought he was from Detroit. I hung out with him all his years in L.A. What a great character and a fun guy to hang with. I watched him beat Ronnie, right after Ronnie won the world title. To be fair Ronnie tried to get him to match up again but Marvin was too busy enjoying the fruits of his labor! :cool:

I only knew Marvin out of Pittsburgh (70's and 80's). I don't know where he was in the 50's and 60's and where he learned to play. Maybe someone else could shed some light on this. I will tell you this about Marvin's one-pocket game. His game was tighter than two coats of paint. He would take half the cue ball away from an opponent. His opponents were always shooting off a rail or over a ball. Playing him was torture.
 
Jack White, also from Pittsburgh, played Marvin Henderson several times in the 50's. Marvin was from PA...of course, Pittsburgh isn't very far from Detroit anyway! :D

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

I only knew Marvin out of Pittsburgh (70's and 80's). I don't know where he was in the 50's and 60's and where he learned to play. Maybe someone else could shed some light on this. I will tell you this about Marvin's one-pocket game. His game was tighter than two coats of paint. He would take half the cue ball away from an opponent. His opponents were always shooting off a rail or over a ball. Playing him was torture.
 
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