How good were Cole Dickson and Mark Tadd?

Saw him play some in the 90's. Probably the best all-around American player of all time, but hard to say - he wasn't around long enough to really prove it.

Don't think any American could beat him playing one-pocket in the 90's, and it would take a 90's era Archer or 90's era Efren/Parica or 90's era Earl to beat him in rotation.

I know he played banks well, but never got to see it.

A smart, creative, hard working player. I once saw him practice nothing but the break for 3 hours or more. Break, rack, break rack, etc. Occasionally run some balls, break, rack...

I can't imagine any US player or non-Filipino in the early 90s that would of played him a set of banks/9-ball/1-pocket.... No way
 
None of them would've beat Vernon Elliot. He was the greatest unknown of them all. Efren didn't like it.
 
I've heard stories as well about Mark Tadd spotting pros like the 6 or 7 out. He's from Utah but I've never personally seen him play but I hear he's still pretty great at the game, even if he's not playing as serious.
 
Ken_4fun said:
Keith got weight and so did Louie.

Buddy gave them both weight.

It doesnt matter how much weight you give up if they never get to shoot.

Ken
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Don't be so sure. You never saw or knew Keith when he was in his prime. Same for Buddy. Two different eras.

Keith would put packages on people and *they* would never get to shoot. It didn't matter who the competitor was. Efren wouldn't play Keith when he first came to California. Buddy couldn't give Keith weight at that time. Get your facts straight, Pal.
 
JAM said:
Don't be so sure. You never saw or knew Keith when he was in his prime. Same for Buddy. Two different eras.

Keith would put packages on people and *they* would never get to shoot. It didn't matter who the competitor was. Efren wouldn't play Keith when he first came to California. Buddy couldn't give Keith weight at that time. Get your facts straight, Pal.
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mudball said:
. . . .
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The pool world according to AzBilliards Discussion Forum online members ain't always the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. :winknudge:
 

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FYI.....A nice lesson to remember is even if it came out of the horses mouth, doesnt mean the horse is correct....write that down
 
Mark was an emerging superstar twenty five years ago but never really stayed with the game long enough to full fill his potential. But, he coulda been a serious contender. Cole who I new since he was 15 years old was more of a high stakes in your face action guy. Never practiced and thus sometimes looked poor at the table OR like a superstar. What Cole did was to make you bet all you could handle and when he was right absolutely drill you. He was a good friend who just couldn't stay away from alcohol and drugs. There are many good Cole stories on AZB if you look for them but in regards to talent, Cole had it. Cole had a great game but he did not play Keith's speed in my opinion but that would have been a match I would have loved to see, even for just the conversation.
 
All these posts are probably true but in the early 90 to mid 90's who (non Filipino) could play Mark all 3 games?

Keith was a great all around player who might of had a chance but I don't think the 90s was his best decade.

The more I think about it, i am pretty sure no one would play him all 3 games. Early 90's Nick Varner might of had a chance.

Like someone else said, we are still talking about him. He was the real deal for sure.
 
I watched Keith play Efren 9-ball in 1991 at Bob's Billiards on Ball Rd in Anaheim.Efren gave him the 8 and robbed him badly.Keith was shooting balls into the rail.He was a very streaky player.But some of the deepest talent in this game tends to reside in streaky players.Either they play at a sublime level or a dogged level.I tend to think that an uneven balance of concentration levels within their brain is to blame.
 
Cole Dickson was one of the most feared 9ball players in the world in his time but imo slightly under Mark Tadd. Coles best game was 9ball and on any given day could of beaten anyone, he didn't play much bank pool and one pocket was never a game he enjoyed playing. Cole was one of the straightest shooters ever, both Cole and Keith were two of the straightest shooters this country has ever produced. Like Cole, Keiths best game was 9ball and when he was right he would of beaten anyone, Keith was the straightest shooter that I have ever seen, bar none. Mark Tadd for a while was the best player in the country, his all around game was super strong and he was as fearless as any player today. If I had to rate the three players it would be too close to call between Tadd and Keith, but both played a hair better than Cole but they both played a hair better than the rest of the world as well. lol. Of course that was playing 9ball. Bank pool between Tadd and Keith was fairly close as well with Tadd holding the slightest of an edge. In case you didn't know Keith played excellent bank pool but was a notch beneath Tadd. Cole as I mentioned earlier couldn't compete with neither player playing banks or one pocket. Tadd's one pocket game was close to a ball over Keith's..maybe 9/8, maybe.

Cole was one of my closest friends in the pool world, he was a great player, and as great as a "stand up" guy that there ever was. I would have trusted him with anything, , anything.

R.I.P. my good friend.

Bill Incardona
 
deanoc said:
both of these players were among the best I ever saw
to get an accurate rating lets hope Keith replies or Billy Incardone

I was at cuetopia in Las Vegas one day and Mark Tad was warming up to possibly play Billy,just knocking balls into the hole

He hit about 10 banks in a row into the hole at about the speed that most people break at 9 ball

I would think both of these guys were close to Keith but I don't have the talent to evaluate them that
accurately

Cole was somewhat of a baseball player in his youth,he seemed to enjoy talking about that more than his pool ,at least with me where is mark Tad these days?

Last time I talked with Mark he expressed an interest in the Bible and was hoping to change his life,I would be interested to hear about him
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everytime i hear cuetopia i nearly vomit....a friend gave me a vintage shirt from there that was pretty old and my favorite color blue with the white letters and palm tree....i mean sick a** shirt.....and yea you guessed it. sprouted legs and disappeared victim of theft.......arhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If anyones got a medium or small (depending, i'm not very big) i'd be interested in buying it lol.....oh whats that no takers? oh ok :frown:

dirty rotten theifs!,
-Greyghost
 
JimmyRayK said:
None of them would've beat Vernon Elliot. He was the greatest unknown of them all. Efren didn't like it.
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yea....i think of Worst the same way....cut down in his prime way too young tho. But owning the 3cushion titles for so long and then busting the best in the world at Johnston city, and some of the stories like the 40balls in one hole....phew Worst gave everyone the worst lol....and Vernons unmakable shots are just really unmakable even for good players that know how to shoot them like myself, and i can thin hit balls extremely well and Vernons stuff just blows my mind lots of times....only some of Taylors banks imop stack up in difficulty.....but i'm not really sure if Worst qualified as "unknown".....for todays POOL players and such, he definitely though is an unknown monster world beater of a player....i'm sure anyone who plays 3 cushion knows who Hoppe's protege is though lol

-regards,
Greyghost
 
Karate said:
Although I never met these 2 guys, I love watching Cole bank these shots in this One Pocket game.
The first 2 shots are Cole then, the last bank is Rudolfo Luat.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiBM6JLcmK4

Karate-
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I was sitting at the front table watching this match. It was really enjoyable watching Cole in stroke again. I know he went far in the rounds, but was really only a shadow of his former self.

He had brought a snakewood cue with him to DCC and tried to sell it to me, wanted $1k as I recall, but I passed because no one could figure out who made it. I regret not buying the cue, as it would be the last time I saw him. He never got back to the Derby.

Will Prout
 
wincardona said:
Cole Dickson was one of the most feared 9ball players in the world in his time but imo slightly under Mark Tadd. Coles best game was 9ball and on any given day could of beaten anyone, he didn't play much bank pool and one pocket was never a game he enjoyed playing. Cole was one of the straightest shooters ever, both Cole and Keith were two of the straightest shooters this country has ever produced. Like Cole, Keiths best game was 9ball and when he was right he would of beaten anyone, Keith was the straightest shooter that I have ever seen, bar none. Mark Tadd for a while was the best player in the country, his all around game was super strong and he was as fearless as any player today. If I had to rate the three players it would be too close to call between Tadd and Keith, but both played a hair better than Cole but they both played a hair better than the rest of the world as well. lol. Of course that was playing 9ball. Bank pool between Tadd and Keith was fairly close as well with Tadd holding the slightest of an edge. In case you didn't know Keith played excellent bank pool but was a notch beneath Tadd. Cole as I mentioned earlier couldn't compete with neither player playing banks or one pocket. Tadd's one pocket game was close to a ball over Keith's..maybe 9/8, maybe.

Cole was one of my closest friends in the pool world, he was a great player, and as great as a "stand up" guy that there ever was. I would have trusted him with anything, , anything.

R.I.P. my good friend.

Bill Incardona
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The highest compliments you can pay anyone in my opinion.

I am grateful to have seen Tadd in his prime and your post re-enforces my belief he was probably the best or close to the best all-around non-filipino player this sport has seen.
 
I heard Tadd say he practiced a week getting ready for CJ Wiley. Don't know how big they played for but CJ got him.
 
Dave714 said:
I heard Tadd say he practiced a week getting ready for CJ Wiley. Don't know how big they played for but CJ got him.
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CJ, to his credit, had his high of being one of the best in the US as well.

I posted in another thread that one of the most impressive pool shooting I've seen was Tadd practicing by himself at HardTimes, without missing a ball, for hours.
 
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