One more legend has passed to the great pool God in the Sky!!

G

Grady

Pro Player
Norman Hitchcock, of OK City 9 Ball fame has left us Aug. 23rd from a heat stroke or heart attack. (The person who notified me didn't know which) I believe Norman was in his early eighties.
In his salad days no one played better 9 Ball than Norman Hitchcoch. He was a class act all of his life and it's been an honor to have had him as my friend. Buddy, Norman and I lived in OKC at the same time for 2 or 3 years and honestly, I can't recall a better time in my life. When we lived there I don't remember a single player beating Norman or Buddy, on any size table.
Well, Norman, from all of us still down here, I had a very good life just knowing friends and opponents like you and you better stay in stroke because one of these days I'll be joining you and I'll be looking for a game. We'll all miss you, buddy.
 
sorry to hear about your buddy Grady. Any good stories to give us a picture of the man?

thanx, Gerry
 
The Great Hitchcock

I lived in Norman, Oklahoma for over two years in the 60's and went to school at OU. I then moved to Oklahoma City for one year. Hitchcock was a local legend and no one could touch him back then. We used to hang downtown at the old Central Club, where they had pool, dominos and poker.

Norman was not one for travel, but he was a terror for incoming road men and most knew to avoid him. Tommy Fisher (Tom The Bomb from St. Louis) and I got hooked up with Hitch one time, and I learned my lesson. Tommy went on to be a great high stakes poker player and sports handicapper. He still is working it in Vegas now.

How would I compare Hitchcock's game. He had that light, soft game reminiscent of Don Watson. He never had to hit the ball too hard, just gently guide it from spot to spot. I wonder how Buddy liked playing him. Maybe Grady can tell us. Of course, by the 1980's from what I heard, his game had slipped a notch. His peak years were the 60's and 70's.

I doubt that many (if any) players beat him back in the day. Probably it would have taken a Lassiter, Watson, Willis or Kelly to get his money. Lesser players need not apply.
 
Sorry to hear this Norman was quite a guy and still had that twinkle in his eye when I last saw him about 1 year ago at Trueloves 1pocket tournament.OKC will not be the same without him.
At the tournament last year, I hadn't been to OKC in sveral years. I got to the turnament barely on time Saturday morning as I had been in action all night at another place. Running a bit late, Evelyn sent me straight to my assigned table in time to hit about 2 balls and flip the coin. Needless to say I didn't even have time to look the room over.
We were in the middle of our 1st game when I felt a stiff finger in the middle of my back and someone whispered, "just how ^%$#@@@ good do you play"? I turned and there he was smiling like a kid, Norman.
He was playin in the tournament against a local who plays pretty good. He didn't win the match, but it went Hill-Hill. Later he told me he was I believe 83 yrs old.
Norman Hitchcock! Wow!
 
A friend of mine played Norman at Trueloves about 15 years ago. I played his buddy. We were both in over our heads. Norman ran the first three in my buddy's set. He later told us who he was.

I remember him as a perfect gentleman, and a super player, despite how old he was at the time. I'm sorry to hear he is gone.
 
Hitchcock and One-Eyed Tony

I spent a few weeks with Sugar Shack Johnny Novak in Trulove's poolroom in Ok City matching up with Norman Hitchcock and One-Eyed Tony Howard. They are both gone now. Two great players. Hitch, was as Grady said, a real class act. A perfect gentleman when you played him. He would never dream of sharking anybody. He had a style like Buddy Hall, slow and deliberate and deadly accurate. I have never heard of anyone beating him playing Nineball in Ok City (he and I played Onepocket, his weakest game, I played him ten to 8). I would have needed the five or six playing Nineball.
Another journeyman gone and more to come.

the Beard
 
jay helfert said:
I.... I wonder how Buddy liked playing him.
Click to expand...

Jay,
Thanks for the reminiscence.

I recall that there is quite a bit about Norman and Buddy's Oklahoma days in Buddy's biography ("From Rags to Rifleman"). I don't have the book (borrowed it from Vagabond and returned it like a moron - should have kept it:) ); but hopefully one of the forum members can look it up and favor us with some of the stories from the book.
 
Norman

I did not know him back when he was young, but a friend of mine played him 1 year ago at Trueloves in OKC, and we were impressed by his play for a man of 82 years. Players like him will be missed. RIP Norm. Beatle.........
 
Hall vs. Hitchcock

Williebetmore said:
I recall that there is quite a bit about Norman and Buddy's Oklahoma days in Buddy's biography ("From Rags to Rifleman"). I don't have the book[...]but hopefully one of the forum members can look it up and favor us with some of the stories from the book.
Click to expand...
This is from p. 180 of Buddy Hall: Rags to Rifleman, Then What?, by W.W. Woody, published by Huckleberry Publishing Co., Lebanon, TN, 1995:

"Buddy and Hitchcock matched up to play 8 ahead sets for $1000 a set [at Truelove's, approx. 1974-1975]. If Hitchcock made either of the last two balls, he won that rack. The only way that Buddy could win was by making the 9-ball. Another stipulation was agreed to by both players was that one player had to get two sets ahead before either could quit. It took Hitchcock about 8 hours to win the first set, and Buddy came back to win the second set in about 3 hours. They were even after playing for well over 10 hours. Then, Buddy pointed something out, saying, 'Boys, it's kind of rough knowing you have to get 16 games ahead from here ain't it?' Norman Hitchcock wasn't a marathon shooter. He could not have endured another 10 hours (maybe longer) of intense play. Buddy was offered $300, to quit and call it off. He accepted."

So, according to Woody, in the mid 1970's Buddy could give Hitchcock the last two, and come out ahead. Interestingly, Woody said that a day or two later Buddy gave Mike Sigel the same spot, and Sigel lost. Reportedly, since Sigel realized he hadn't missed a ball, but still lost, he pulled up.

Doc
 
A great picture!!

Anyone who wants to see a terrific picture of Norman, go to: www.onepocket.org , in the main forum. He's shown accepting his trophy from Paulie Jansco for winning the 9 Ball division in Las Vegas.
 
I would just like to say the I appreciate the posts like this from Grady, Freddy, and Jay about players, tournaments and action from the past. I love hearing stories and reports on players who got me interested in this great game (although threads like this are sad).

I hope that the players who have been around for a while keep us posted on the old players, and tournaments from the past. I would have given anything to sit and talk to a player like Norman and hear some of his stories.

Mike
 
Me Too

Mike Templeton said:
I would just like to say the I appreciate the posts like this from Grady, Freddy, and Jay about players, tournaments and action from the past. I love hearing stories and reports on players who got me interested in this great game (although threads like this are sad).

I hope that the players who have been around for a while keep us posted on the old players, and tournaments from the past. I would have given anything to sit and talk to a player like Norman and hear some of his stories.

Mike
Click to expand...

Tap, Tap, Tap.

If I could only convince Grady to write another book.

Ken
 
gulfportdoc said:
This is from p. 180 of Buddy Hall: Rags to Rifleman, Then What?, by W.W. Woody, published by Huckleberry Publishing Co., Lebanon, TN, 1995:

"Buddy and Hitchcock matched up to play 8 ahead sets for $1000 a set [at Truelove's, approx. 1974-1975]. If Hitchcock made either of the last two balls, he won that rack. The only way that Buddy could win was by making the 9-ball. Another stipulation was agreed to by both players was that one player had to get two sets ahead before either could quit. It took Hitchcock about 8 hours to win the first set, and Buddy came back to win the second set in about 3 hours. They were even after playing for well over 10 hours. Then, Buddy pointed something out, saying, 'Boys, it's kind of rough knowing you have to get 16 games ahead from here ain't it?' Norman Hitchcock wasn't a marathon shooter. He could not have endured another 10 hours (maybe longer) of intense play. Buddy was offered $300, to quit and call it off. He accepted."

So, according to Woody, in the mid 1970's Buddy could give Hitchcock the last two, and come out ahead. Interestingly, Woody said that a day or two later Buddy gave Mike Sigel the same spot, and Sigel lost. Reportedly, since Sigel realized he hadn't missed a ball, but still lost, he pulled up.

Doc
Click to expand...

Sounds about right, the best money 9-Ball player in the country giving Hitchcock the "last two". And I would bet they didn't come into play more than four or five times in the entire session, if that.
 
Norman was a Great Example for young players to follow. I know I grew up here in OKC seeing him play. I was at the true loves One pocket last year that went Hill Hill the match was with Billy Roberts a local 9 speed 9 ball player and Norman Played his Heart out never conceeding to the last shot.
Was so sad to here he Pasted. He would never tell me what that cue was he played with.Thanks for the Memories
 
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