Leil "JR" Gay has passed away
- Thread starter gunzby
- Start date
R.I.P. to a great player...
I was at many a tournament in and around Chicago and had the pleasure of enjoying his game when he would play. If I remember correctly I only played him one time. Fun and informative match. I was fortunate to come out on top. Good times. He'll be missed.
I was at many a tournament in and around Chicago and had the pleasure of enjoying his game when he would play. If I remember correctly I only played him one time. Fun and informative match. I was fortunate to come out on top. Good times. He'll be missed.
Wow. I didn't even know he was sick. I haven't seen him around anywhere in AZ in several years, he just dropped off the scene here I think. Sad to see him go, nice guy and heck of a player. :frown:
There's a good video of him playing Ronnie Allen in the 1998 World One Pocket championship,
Accu-Stats still has it listed. JR plays great, it's one of the few Ronnie Allen videos out there, and Freddie the Beard does commentary I believe.
Price of a twelve pack of beer for a really cool match.
RIP.
Another fine player gone.
I watched most of that match, live!..I believe he beat RA that set, didn't he?..Very solid player,and a real nice guy!..RIP J.R.
PS..Anybody know how old he was?..Wasn't he still in his 60's Lenny?
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JR played great even as a kid. He lit them up in Dayton nearly forty years ago. Probably the best young player to ever come out of Ohio. He continued his career as a champion slayer for another 20-30 years, taking on one top player after another and bringing them to their knees. He was fearless, a very good quality for a money player. What made him stand out was that he was still a very nice down to earth type guy when he wasn't in combat. Only one I've met since like him from Ohio is Chris Bartram, and Chris never could match Leil's top speed. No offense to Chris, but Leil had a very high top gear.
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I'm guessing early 60's Dick, about the same age as Keith.
I was on the same league team with JR back in the 1980's in Cleveland Oh.
We became friends and I watched him play in many matches and tournaments.
He was a great player with a natural stroke who preferred straight pool and one pocket.
I will remember all the good times we had playing the game we both loved.
He will be missed.
We became friends and I watched him play in many matches and tournaments.
He was a great player with a natural stroke who preferred straight pool and one pocket.
I will remember all the good times we had playing the game we both loved.
He will be missed.
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There's a good video of him playing Ronnie Allen in the 1998 World One Pocket championship,
Accu-Stats still has it listed. JR plays great, it's one of the few Ronnie Allen videos out there, and Freddie the Beard does commentary I believe.
Price of a twelve pack of beer for a really cool match.
RIP.
Another fine player gone.
When I was first learning the game and fell in love with one pocket I used to bug him to play me cheap at Northfield billiards. He always declined politely, but would show me things from time to time and lent me his copy of that tape against Ronny Allen and told me to study that.
He was a very strong player with his left/opposite hand. My favorite story about him was about a guy who clocked a young JR practicing left handed and thought he had the edge. He found out otherwise after the coin flip when JR went to his right side.
I was fortunate enough to play a session with him before he left for AZ. He was a threat to run out from anywhere, a fierce competitor who hated to lose a single game, and played like a gentleman.
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He told me he ran 70+ left handed and I believe he probably did.
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Mike Kennedy
New member
Rip jr
RIP JR He ran 313 balls at River City Billiards in Fairview Park Ohio. After watching this run I went to a local trophy shop and had a commemorative trophy made for this high run.
His father would bring him into the pool room when he was a boy. JR would have his own table to play on as his father would be in a cash match. His father would watch him and if he saw JR miss a ball "Chief" would hit him in the head with a ball. Was it child abuse? I think so, but it made him a great player. Not for the love of the game but for the fear of the pain of missing a shot.
Jr worked for me a couple of years and told me about all this. If you ever saw JR hit himself in the head with a ball and look up to the sky it was for his deceased dad.
He won the US Open in "one pocket" in Kalamazoo Michigan one year. He was an absolutely incredible player and good person.He would hit the local tournament scene on weekends and pretty much took everyone down.
RIP JR
RIP JR He ran 313 balls at River City Billiards in Fairview Park Ohio. After watching this run I went to a local trophy shop and had a commemorative trophy made for this high run.
His father would bring him into the pool room when he was a boy. JR would have his own table to play on as his father would be in a cash match. His father would watch him and if he saw JR miss a ball "Chief" would hit him in the head with a ball. Was it child abuse? I think so, but it made him a great player. Not for the love of the game but for the fear of the pain of missing a shot.
Jr worked for me a couple of years and told me about all this. If you ever saw JR hit himself in the head with a ball and look up to the sky it was for his deceased dad.
He won the US Open in "one pocket" in Kalamazoo Michigan one year. He was an absolutely incredible player and good person.He would hit the local tournament scene on weekends and pretty much took everyone down.
RIP JR
All he did was make me smile allot ''in the moment''. He was a trip when Liscotti tagged along.