Jimmy Fusco stories

[measureman]

Lets hear your stories, there's got to be a lot of them.

Mid '80s
Jimmy would come to The Ballroom in Toms River N.J. a couple of times a month. It was a good action room.

One night he was practicing straight pool on table 2, a tight Gold Crown.
The owner and me watched. We didn't get an exact ball count but watched him run 9 racks. Afterwards we asked him if he knew how many he had run and he had no idea. When we told him 9 racks he was surprised.

Another night he matched up with Neptune Joe Frady.
They played a set of 9 ball that Joe won and a game of straight pool that Jimmy won.
The bet on both matches was close to $900.00.

A funny story was that a new guy from Sweden named Tom Storm matched up with Jimmy playing $20 9 ball.
Every time Jimmy won Tom would wad up a $20 bill and roll it to Jimmy.
After awhile with a big smile on his face Jimmy says "We don't treat our money like that"

He would come to The Ballroom primarily to hook up with Gypsy Bob a big gambler and if Bob was in the right mood would go off for a couple of thousand.
One night he gave Bob the 8 in 9 ball and played a $100 a game. A pretty stout bet for those days.
Sorry to say I don't remember who won.

 

[Black-Balled]

I believe he and Cigar tom vanover got dwn through the years, but i am not really an MD, so i cant comment further.

Johnson city 1p winner though, right?

 

[mr3cushion]

Billy Incardona has a GREAT story about He and Jimmy on the road together that year Jimmy won the One Pocket in Johnston City! Maybe He'll come aboard and share it!

BTW, I met Jimmy for the first time around 1969 in Philly at 'Phil Longo's' pool room!

Next time I saw Him was at, 'The Rack' in Detroit around 1979. He was with His cousin Petie, which they spent many days together on the road.We all became very good friends!

After that I didn't see Jimmy until 2012 at the Super Expo, and then again last year, when Petie invited me to come to His room, Fusco's 'The Spot'
to put on a 3C clinic for His patrons.

Jimmy and I spoke at least once a week ever since last year!

One of the GREATEST players of all games and undoubtedly the nicest guy in the cue game anyone could meet!

When I think of a really good story about Jimmy, I'll post again.

 

[WildWing]

Here's how willing Jimmy was. Champion Billiards in Frederick needed a show for a group, and Frank W (Wedge) happened to know Jim Fusco. He called Jim and asked him if he would drive down and do a trick shot show for a group. Not only did Jim do it, but he practiced on one table, and they put him on another table to do the shots. They still came out perfect. Afterwards, Jim told Frank it was the nicest pool room he'd ever seen, and thanked him for arranging the event. Even offered Frank some of the payment, which of course Frank said no way.

I still remember hearing the cell phone conversation with Jim afterwards, on how nice a pool room it was, and how honored he was to do the show. Sadly, both are gone, but it shows how Jim was willing to drop what he was doing, drive down to Maryland, and put on a show. A classy guy all the way. It was two to three years ago.

All the best,
WW

 

[bud green]

I only know him through pool videos but the one pocket video of him vs Rempe with Freddie the Beard on commentary is the ultimate squeeze style video. Commentary is great.

The way he grinded out a win in Reno at nine ball is also a great video. You could tell he was a little shaky, but it was a 15-14 nailbiter and he pulled it out against a great opponent in Davenport.

http://store.accu-stats.com/jimmy-fusco-vs-kim-davenport-f-dvd-17th-s-r-o-june-1993/

 

[everide]

jimmy fusco

one night quite a few years ago my wife and a couple of friends were playing at pool table magic in conn. jimmy came in late and was talking with mark k. we were introduced to him and he said ill try a shot but probably wont make it the first time. he froze a ball in the corner pocket and said ill go three rails and into the pocket by the frozen without hitting it. first try he made it. told us a lot of stories about minn. fats and others. such a nice guy and a great banker. what a good night that was. jim and sue

 

[franko]

150

1994-Oct.27th. Met Jimmy Fusco at a Frank Zummo Tournament in Cleveland it was straight Pool. I was watching Jimmy because earlier he showed me a Black Boar he was selling. I can't remember his opponent but part of that reason is because his Opponent really never made it to the table .

Fusco ran 150 and out, very very impressive. They had posters with the players pictures at the tournament my late friend John O'Neil had Jimmy sign one for me it reads

" Best wishes Jimmy ( 150 & out ) Fusco.
I have it framed and hanging by my Pool table. Great great memories.

 

[kkdanamatt]

Jimmy was a dog lover. In the late 80's Jimmy would occasionally travel from Philly to Elizabeth, NJ and gamble at the infamous West-End Billiards. It was a chilly November night and Grady Mathews was there, trying to match up with Jimmy in 1-Pocket. Jimmy seemed a bit concerned because he had left a dog in his car parked outside. West-End wouldn't allow dogs inside. I spoke with Jimmy and he told me that he first named the dog Willie, after Mosconi, but he later changed the name to Wilma, because she was female. Jimmy was planning to give Wilma away because she didn't get along with Jimmy's other female dogs. I told Jimmy not to worry, that I would take Wima home with me and take good care of her. Well, Wilma never really warmed up to me and I could tell that she missed Jimmy terribly. I returned Wilma to Jimmy less than a year later at West-End, and she ran up to him and kissed him all over. Jimmy was so happy to have her back.
A couple of years later, in 1990, I promoted the West-End All-Around 6-man Shoot-Out with Jimmy Fusco, Nick Varner, Mike Sigel, Allen Hopkins, Jack Colavita, and Ray Martin. It was a round-robin format with 14.1 Straight Pool, 9-Ball, and 1-Pocket. In the first match, Varner ran 150 and out on Jimmy. Varner eventually was the over-all Champ, but Jimmy won the 1-Pocket.
Jimmy was a kind, humble and generous human being. That's a rare combination in the pool world.

 

[FranCrimi]

Here's a story I wrote on my facebook page about Jimmy:


So one day several years ago, Jimmy Fusco and I were hired to give a pool exhibition at the posh Union League Club in Manhattan. We mapped out what we were going to do for the evening --- who would do what trick shots and so-on. I practiced my shots all week and felt ready to go by the night of the exhibition.

I arrived at the club before Jimmy and to my absolute shock and panic, I saw that all the tables were 5 by 10 feet and not the regulation 4 ½ by 9. This was bad. This was really bad. The trick shots weren’t going to work.

I called Jimmy and frantically told him the situation as he was driving in from Philly.

“Don’t worry, Frannie,” he said. “I got this. We’ll be okay. Keep smiling. See you in a bit.”

WHEW. I finally took a breath.

Jimmy arrived with 10 minutes to spare, dressed to the nines, smiling and shaking hands with everyone as he came through the door. It boosted my confidence. We were going to pull this off.

We stepped off to the side to talk. “So can you really make the adjustments for the trick shots?” I asked.

“Hell no,” he said. “The shots aren’t going to work. I haven’t got the faintest idea what we’re going to do.”

“WHAT??!! So why did you tell me you got this? Huh? Why?” I was starting to panic again through my forced smile.

He said, “I just didn’t want you to worry until I got here.”

I sighed. “Okay, can we worry now, then? We’ve got 5 minutes until start time and the place is packed.”

He said, “Yeah, we can worry now.”

I burst out laughing. We were in so deep that all I could do was laugh.

Jimmy winked at me and said, “Let’s go. It’s show time. Let’s wing it.” As I followed Jimmy to the exhibition table, I just kept thinking, “What the heck are we going to do?”

Here’s where the story gets crazy. Jimmy got on the table, started shooting and talking to the crowd, and something magical happened. The spectators fell in love with Jimmy Fusco. He probably didn’t have to hit a ball. He had them at "How-ya doin'."

Two hours passed. Jimmy shot, I shot, we got a standing ovation, but I have practically no memory of what happened during those two hours.

What I do remember is that he made every single person in that crowd feel special, like he was talking just to them only. When it was over and all the handshakes were done, Jimmy said to me, “Well, we pulled it off, didn’t we?”

I was still stunned. I said, “What the heck just happened? Did we even shoot pool? I can’t remember.”

“Of course we shot pool,” he said. “We did great. Listen, I gotta run. Mail me my check, willya? Seeya at the U.S. Open.” We hugged, and he was out the door.

Jimmy I’m really gonna miss you. But I will always remember you with a smile on my face.

 

[measureman]

[ A couple of years later, in 1990, I promoted the West-End All-Around 6-man Shoot-Out with Jimmy Fusco, Nick Varner, Mike Sigel, Allen Hopkins, Jack Colavita, and Ray Martin. It was a round-robin format with 14.1 Straight Pool, 9-Ball, and 1-Pocket. In the first match, Varner ran 150 and out on Jimmy. Varner eventually was the over-all Champ, but Jimmy won the 1-Pocket.
Jimmy was a kind, humble and generous human being. That's a rare combination in the pool world.[/QUOTE]

I remember that event.
Wasn't Jimmy a late substitute for someone that dropped out?

 

[kkdanamatt]

[ A couple of years later, in 1990, I promoted the West-End All-Around 6-man Shoot-Out with Jimmy Fusco, Nick Varner, Mike Sigel, Allen Hopkins, Jack Colavita, and Ray Martin. It was a round-robin format with 14.1 Straight Pool, 9-Ball, and 1-Pocket. In the first match, Varner ran 150 and out on Jimmy. Varner eventually was the over-all Champ, but Jimmy won the 1-Pocket.
Jimmy was a kind, humble and generous human being. That's a rare combination in the pool world.

I remember that event.
Wasn't Jimmy a late substitute for someone that dropped out?[/QUOTE]

Yes, Mizerak was supposed to play, but I was video-taping the matches and The Miz told me that his sponsor, Miller Lite Beer, would not allow him to be taped in a poolroom unless it was a sanctioned event. I called Jimmy and he took the place of The Miz. Steve wasn't happy because it was free money and right in his own back yard. I wish I had those old VHS tapes.

 

[GeoEnvi]

Jimmy was a dog lover. In the late 80's Jimmy would occasionally travel from Philly to Elizabeth, NJ and gamble at the infamous West-End Billiards. It was a chilly November night and Grady Mathews was there, trying to match up with Jimmy in 1-Pocket. Jimmy seemed a bit concerned because he had left a dog in his car parked outside. West-End wouldn't allow dogs inside. I spoke with Jimmy and he told me that he first named the dog Willie, after Mosconi, but he later changed the name to Wilma, because she was female. Jimmy was planning to give Wilma away because she didn't get along with Jimmy's other female dogs. I told Jimmy not to worry, that I would take Wima home with me and take good care of her. Well, Wilma never really warmed up to me and I could tell that she missed Jimmy terribly. I returned Wilma to Jimmy less than a year later at West-End, and she ran up to him and kissed him all over. Jimmy was so happy to have her back.
A couple of years later, in 1990, I promoted the West-End All-Around 6-man Shoot-Out with Jimmy Fusco, Nick Varner, Mike Sigel, Allen Hopkins, Jack Colavita, and Ray Martin. It was a round-robin format with 14.1 Straight Pool, 9-Ball, and 1-Pocket. In the first match, Varner ran 150 and out on Jimmy. Varner eventually was the over-all Champ, but Jimmy won the 1-Pocket.
Jimmy was a kind, humble and generous human being. That's a rare combination in the pool world.

Coincidentally, the last time I saw Jimmy walking into the Spot late one Friday night he had a dog with him!

 

[Cris00009]

Jimmy Fusco Was a CHAMPION!!! I grew up at the Boulevard in the 80’s his home poolroom at buselton and Roosevelt boulevard. He was my hero from 13 years old. I copied how he walked slowly around the table, his bridge, the way he raised and lowered his left pinky when he stroked his shot. I learned from watching some of the best there was! RIP Jimmy.

 

[Cris00009]

Lets hear your stories, there's got to be a lot of them.

Mid '80s
Jimmy would come to The Ballroom in Toms River N.J. a couple of times a month. It was a good action room.

One night he was practicing straight pool on table 2, a tight Gold Crown.
The owner and me watched. We didn't get an exact ball count but watched him run 9 racks. Afterwards we asked him if he knew how many he had run and he had no idea. When we told him 9 racks he was surprised.

Another night he matched up with Neptune Joe Frady.
They played a set of 9 ball that Joe won and a game of straight pool that Jimmy won.
The bet on both matches was close to $900.00.

A funny story was that a new guy from Sweden named Tom Storm matched up with Jimmy playing $20 9 ball.
Every time Jimmy won Tom would wad up a $20 bill and roll it to Jimmy.
After awhile with a big smile on his face Jimmy says "We don't treat our money like that"

He would come to The Ballroom primarily to hook up with Gypsy Bob a big gambler and if Bob was in the right mood would go off for a couple of thousand.
One night he gave Bob the 8 in 9 ball and played a $100 a game. A pretty stout bet for those days.
Sorry to say I don't remember who won.

I remember a poolroom in Toms River that had some action. We drove up once i think to see the place.

 

[measureman]

I remember a poolroom in Toms River that had some action. We drove up once i think to see the place.

Was it the Ballroom on RT 9?
Big place in a converted bowling alley with 36 Gold Crowns with gold cloth on them.
If that was the room interesting tidbit is many years ago when they tore down the elevated train in New York they brought the huge timbers to Toms River and built the bowling alley.
It would have been the place to be in a hurricane,it was a fortress.

 

[philly]

Jimmy was one of the nicest guys you would ever meet.
Used to watch him play at the Boulevard Social Club.
I took about 43 years off from playing pool as life demanded my time elsewhere.
Anyhow, Jimmy would come up from South Philly almost every Friday night with some his friends and play 3 cushion on a beautiful
Gabriels Kronos we had in the room.
I approached him one Friday night and told him about watching him play at the Boulevard in the 60's.
He told me that he thought I looked familiar.
Over 40 years ago.
That was Jimmy.

 

[sjm]

I knew Jimmy well. I played a few times in his Philadelphia poolroom called, if memory serves, South Philly Billiards., mostly during my college years during which I lived in Philadelphia. Back then, Jimmy boasted that, due his vast network of friends and contacts, he could find out anyone's speed in both pool and poker within half an hour. Apparently, there was quite a bit of action in poker at his poolroom, although I never witnessed it.

The two things I remember him for are very different. First, he reached the final of the 1983 PPPA World 14.1 Championship, which he'd lose to the great Mizerak, but I remember being there ringside cheering him on. Second, and it's really weird that I remember this, he was the first player I ever saw that would sometimes use his "bathroom break" during a pool tournament to smoke a joint, typically in the parking lot. In fairness, it never seemed to slow him down at the table.

Last I saw him was at the 2016 Super Billiards Expo in Pennsylvania when he, Jerry Briesath and I hung out together for a while, and while he clearly looked weak, I had no idea we'd never meet again.

I miss my friend.

 

[Baby Huey]

In 1970 or so, Jimmy came out to the west coast with a very attractive young lady and a small dog. He stayed out here maybe two months or so hanging around the Billiard Den, Marina Billiards and Bellflower Billiards. Those were the action rooms back then. He played all games well but his nine ball game was under the likes of Hippie Jimmy Marino and Hawaiian Brian. They beat on him pretty good. One nite both Jimmy's matched up in 3C and for pool players they both played pretty sporty. Jimmy Fusco got his nine ball losses back from Hippie Jimmy and I never saw him again until the nineties in on of the Reno Open Events which I think he won, amazingly. Jimmy Fusco remembered those matches and we had fun reconnecting after all those years. It was sad to hear of his death. Great guy and a great action guy.

 

[measureman]

Jimmy came to the Ballroom in Toms River N.J. quite often in the '80's with another guy named Jimmy,he was a bit heavy set and him and I would play 9 ball or one pocket.
Does anyone remember him and if so is he still around?

 

[Cris00009]

I knew Jimmy well. I played a few times in his Philadelphia poolroom called, if memory serves, South Philly Billiards., mostly during my college years during which I lived in Philadelphia. Back then, Jimmy boasted that, due his vast network of friends and contacts, he could find out anyone's speed in both pool and poker within half an hour. Apparently, there was quite a bit of action in poker at his poolroom, although I never witnessed it.

The two things I remember him for are very different. First, he reached the final of the 1983 PPPA World 14.1 Championship, which he'd lose to the great Mizerak, but I remember being there ringside cheering him on. Second, and it's really weird that I remember this, he was the first player I ever saw that would sometimes use his "bathroom break" during a pool tournament to smoke a joint, typically in the parking lot. In fairness, it never seemed to slow him down at the table.

Last I saw him was at the 2016 Super Billiards Expo in Pennsylvania when he, Jerry Briesath and I hung out together for a while, and while he clearly looked weak, I had no idea we'd never meet again.

I miss my friend.

South philly Billiards was Ronnie Durante and Joe Pepe’s poolroom at 2nd and Oregon. It popped up in the late 80’s id say. Ronnie durante owned south philly Video and joe Pepe was a knock around guy. Mosconi’s was at 20th and Oregon and was around a lot longer. I saw Ronnie Durante break a very expensive Kersenbrock cue over the table back when he was playing Reyes 10 ball getting a big spot.