One Hit Wonders?

Bobby

Bobby

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I just saw an interesting thread on a snooker forum about one hit, or more correctly one tournament wonders. I thought it would be a good thread on this board, can anyone think of any one hit wonders in pool? Any player who won a major event and then never did a thing again. I'm talking about MAJOR events not a Joss or Viking event. Majors like the U.S Open, World Championships, Sands Reno, BCA Open, basically any event that had a majority of world class players.

Bobby
 
This isn't nice to say, but Reed Pierce, after he won the U.S. Open... where did he go after that?
 
> There was a guy names Keith Thompson that showed up out of the blue one time and won the All-Around in Johnston City in 1970. Buddy Hall has busted him gambling,but he won the title for finishing like 2nd in all 3 events,and disappeared. Tommy D.
 
In snooker, I'll bet 1986 World Champion Joe Johnson was high on that list!

Well, I must preface this with the fact that anyone I mention surely has more than one title, but players that, in my estimation, qualify as one hit wonders include:

Reed Pierce (1995 US Open)
Tommy Kennedy (1992 US Open)
Raj Hundal (2005 World Pool Masters)
Kelly Oyama (1996 WPBA Minnesota)
 
sjm said:
In snooker, I'll bet 1986 World Champion Joe Johnson was high on that list!

Well, I must preface this with the fact that anyone I mention surely has more than one title, but players that, in my estimation, qualify as one hit wonders include:

Reed Pierce (1995 US Open)
Tommy Kennedy (1992 US Open)
Raj Hundal (2005 World Pool Masters)
Kelly Oyama (1996 WPBA Minnesota)
Click to expand...

Including Raj Hundal on a list of one hit wonders is very unfair IMO. He is a great young player who won the masters on his first appearance in the tournament and his game has improved so much in the last 18 months that he is becoming a player who can mix it up with best on the world scene (His back to back performances against Yang and Rodney Morris at the WPC were top draw and he was unlucky to lose Hill - Hill against The Rocket) Calling him a one hit wonder just 4 months after his first major win seems a bit premature.
 
One hit wonders

Posting Reed Pierce and Tommy K. is way off the mark. Both were and are excellent players who have won other events (not as big as the Open, but what is) and have many high finishes in major events. Definitely not unknowns.
Now Keith Thompson, that is an entirely different story. He came from nowhere to win the All Around at Johnson City with all the best players and just as quickly disappeared. He was never rated more than a solid shortstop, getting the 7 Ball from the top players.
Now if you post a thread about the biggest upsets in tournaments, you may find many posts where total unknowns knocked off world champions. I was there in Reno when Jerry Chappell, a journeyman player from L.A. beat Efren in a Race To Eleven, and outplayed him down the stretch.
This kind of thing has happened frequently in pool and gives hope to every B player out there, that just maybe, today will be there day.
 
jay helfert said:
...Jerry Chappell, a journeyman player from L.A. beat Efren in a Race To Eleven, and outplayed him down the stretch.
This kind of thing has happened frequently in pool and gives hope to every B player out there, that just maybe, today will be there day.
Click to expand...

Ahh yes, you are one astute feller...that is what keeps us bangers comin' back, isn't it?!
 
thewolfman said:
Including Raj Hundal on a list of one hit wonders is very unfair IMO. He is a great young player who won the masters on his first appearance in the tournament and his game has improved so much in the last 18 months that he is becoming a player who can mix it up with best on the world scene (His back to back performances against Yang and Rodney Morris at the WPC were top draw and he was unlucky to lose Hill - Hill against The Rocket) Calling him a one hit wonder just 4 months after his first major win seems a bit premature.
Click to expand...


Well said!....I think 1 hit wonders have to have time to prove the 1 hit part...

Gerry
 
thewolfman said:
Including Raj Hundal on a list of one hit wonders is very unfair IMO. He is a great young player who won the masters on his first appearance in the tournament and his game has improved so much in the last 18 months that he is becoming a player who can mix it up with best on the world scene (His back to back performances against Yang and Rodney Morris at the WPC were top draw and he was unlucky to lose Hill - Hill against The Rocket) Calling him a one hit wonder just 4 months after his first major win seems a bit premature.
Click to expand...

OK, I stand corrected, but let's not view Hundal as if he were a rookie. Surely, he's been on the competitive scene for about five years, and has just one title of note to show for it.

So my new list is Pierce, Kennedy, and Oyama.
 
sjm said:
OK, I stand corrected, but let's not view Hundal as if he were a rookie. Surely, he's been on the competitive scene for about five years, and has just one title of note to show for it.

So my new list is Pierce, Kennedy, and Oyama.
Click to expand...

Didn't Peg Ledman win a WPBA tour stop? Then she went on to promote.
 
rackmsuckr said:
Didn't Peg Ledman win a WPBA tour stop? Then she went on to promote.
Click to expand...

Linda, I have a feeling Peg Ledman won twice on the WPBA, once in 1989, and again in 1992. The latter was at WPBA Los Angeles. Peg competed until 1999, if my memory serves, and then went on to be an excellent pool promoter. Peg is somebody I have enormous respect for.

I will have to look into this...wondering who to ask.
 
> She won two,one at the Airport Hilton in Memphis in 1989,and the L.A. Open in 1992,she played JoAnn Mason in the finals. Both of these tournaments were back when the MPBA existed,and the men's and women's tours were linked. They would often run their tournaments simultaneously at the same venue,but there were also separate events. This was the women's division final,the men's division was Earl and Johnny,went hill-hill and Earl almost dogged it,leaving the cue ball in a spot where the only thing he could do was jack way up,hammer it,and hope the cue ball sticks. Unfortunately for Johnny,he splits the wicket,does a Tiger style fist pump,and runs out. Jay Helfert here was the TD at that event. Tommy D.
 
sjm said:
In snooker, I'll bet 1986 World Champion Joe Johnson was high on that list!

Well, I must preface this with the fact that anyone I mention surely has more than one title, but players that, in my estimation, qualify as one hit wonders include:

Reed Pierce (1995 US Open)
Tommy Kennedy (1992 US Open)
Raj Hundal (2005 World Pool Masters)
Kelly Oyama (1996 WPBA Minnesota)
Click to expand...

Hrrm Joe did get to and lose in the world final the following year to Davis, he also won the Rothmans Grand prix circa 89 . His game did go down the following years but that was a helluva time for new competition in the world of snooker and that was a contributing factor imho.

Oh, here I found his listed Achievements:


World Professional champion - 1986
World Professional Championship runner-up - 1987
Scottish Masters champion - 1987
European Grand Prix champion - 1989
Professional Players Tournament runner-up - 1983
World Amateur Championship runner-up - 1978
English Amateur Championship runner-up -1978
National Under-19 champion - 1971
 
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Tommy-D said:
> She won two,one at the Airport Hilton in Memphis in 1989,and the L.A. Open in 1992,she played JoAnn Mason in the finals. Both of these tournaments were back when the MPBA existed,and the men's and women's tours were linked. They would often run their tournaments simultaneously at the same venue,but there were also separate events. This was the women's division final,the men's division was Earl and Johnny,went hill-hill and Earl almost dogged it,leaving the cue ball in a spot where the only thing he could do was jack way up,hammer it,and hope the cue ball sticks. Unfortunately for Johnny,he splits the wicket,does a Tiger style fist pump,and runs out. Jay Helfert here was the TD at that event. Tommy D.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Tommy. Looks like my memory is hodling up pretty well, but I just couldn't remember where Peg won her other title.
 
Mark Tadd

jay helfert said:
Posting Reed Pierce and Tommy K. is way off the mark. Both were and are excellent players who have won other events (not as big as the Open, but what is) and have many high finishes in major events. Definitely not unknowns.
Now Keith Thompson, that is an entirely different story. He came from nowhere to win the All Around at Johnson City with all the best players and just as quickly disappeared. He was never rated more than a solid shortstop, getting the 7 Ball from the top players.
Now if you post a thread about the biggest upsets in tournaments, you may find many posts where total unknowns knocked off world champions. I was there in Reno when Jerry Chappell, a journeyman player from L.A. beat Efren in a Race To Eleven, and outplayed him down the stretch.
This kind of thing has happened frequently in pool and gives hope to every B player out there, that just maybe, today will be there day.
Click to expand...
How about Mark Tadd? He dominated the L.A Open back in 92 or 93 something like that. He had champions scared of him back then, and was strong in all games.
 
for the record

off_tizilt said:
I would count tommy kennedy as well. Although he does run one hell of a tour.
Click to expand...

I would not include Tommy as a "One Hit Wonder". I have only seen Tommy play a few Reno Open's, which definitely qualifies with strong fields bi-annually, and I know of him winning it twice.

I also know that he won many a tournaments on the Florida tour and that is another field of extremely strong players.
 
Banker Burt said:
I would not include Tommy as a "One Hit Wonder". I have only seen Tommy play a few Reno Open's, which definitely qualifies with strong fields bi-annually, and I know of him winning it twice.

I also know that he won many a tournaments on the Florida tour and that is another field of extremely strong players.
Click to expand...

Agree with Burt. I know Tommy pretty well and he's had a distinguished career in pool, playing, promoting and providing a positive image. The Florida Tour (with Buddy Hall, Dennis Hatch, Jon Dovinsky, John DiToro, Louis Vierra, later Charlie Williams, etc) was about as tough a local tour as could be found, and the champions that came and participated didn't necessarily have to like it. About Keith "Young Sqirrel" Thompson: I knew him when he was a kid, still playing, and he had as much natural talent as anyone I've seen (on a par with Cole Dickson) as a teenager. He told us that he didn't really like the pool lifestyle (he was in Texas and it was ROUGH back then) and was going to do something else. As hard as it is to win ANY tournement, I almost disagree that there is such a thing as a "one hit wonder" in pool. I'm a "no hit wonder" and would loooooove to be a "one hit wonder".
 
whatever major is,,,,has mika won anything "MAJOR" ever since his breakout year?
 
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