Since Jam was nice enough to ask

G

Grady

Pro Player
Jam asked for a list of what tournaments I promoted. Here is a partial list:
1. Legends of One Pocket, $20,000 added 1990 Radisson hotel Columbia,SC

2. Legends of One Pocket $20,000 added 1991 Columbia,SC

3. Legends of One Pocket $20,000 added, 1991 Philadelphia (Airport Hilton)

4.Super Tournament ( Legends of One Pocket) Reno,NV $61,500 added,
downtown Reno Hilton, promoted by Ritchie Florence and me, 1993

5. 1994 Legends of One Pocket, Philadelphia, $20,000 added Pete Fusco's Family Billiards

6. The Maine Event, $25,000 added Straight Pool, Portland,ME The Spot
Shot Billiards, 1995

7. The Legends of One Pocket, $15,000 added 1995, Shooter's, Olathe,KS

8. Not sure of the year but around 98', Legends of One Pocket, Baton Rouge, $20,000 added at the Belle Of Baton Rouge casino

9. Another Legends at the same place the next year, $20,000 added

10. Not sure of this year but about 97', Hampton, VA Back Pocket 9 Ball,
$15,000 added

10. Seniors event Portland, ME, $20,000 added late nineties

11.Naples, Fl Senior event, $40,000 added, around 03'

12.Legends tournament, Portland,ME, $20,000 added, 2000 the year

13. Grand Hotel, Gulfport, MS $20,000 added 04'
Without looking things up this an incomplete list of my tournaments
 
Hi Grady,

I am not sure about everyone else but I know what you have done for the game and where you have been. You probably forgot more than I will ever know and you never have to prove anything to me. I find it a shame that you have to come on here and "defend" yourself. I for one am just happy that you are here posting.

Thank you,

Brady
 
No doubt that you have been very good for the game. The thing that really impresses me about the list of events is all the money added. Grady, can you talk a bit about how where the added money came from? If it came from sponsors, how did you approach them? How did you sell the game of pool to sponsors?
 
You Heard It HERE

BVal said:
Hi Grady,

I am not sure about everyone else but I know what you have done for the game and where you have been. You probably forgot more than I will ever know and you never have to prove anything to me. I find it a shame that you have to come on here and "defend" yourself. I for one am just happy that you are here posting.

Thank you,

Brady
Click to expand...



I agree with Brandy :)
 
Grady said:
Jam asked for a list of what tournaments I promoted. Here is a partial list:
1. Legends of One Pocket, $20,000 added 1990 Radisson hotel Columbia,SC

2. Legends of One Pocket $20,000 added 1991 Columbia,SC

3. Legends of One Pocket $20,000 added, 1991 Philadelphia (Airport Hilton)

4.Super Tournament ( Legends of One Pocket) Reno,NV $61,500 added,
downtown Reno Hilton, promoted by Ritchie Florence and me, 1993

5. 1994 Legends of One Pocket, Philadelphia, $20,000 added Pete Fusco's Family Billiards

6. The Maine Event, $25,000 added Straight Pool, Portland,ME The Spot
Shot Billiards, 1995

7. The Legends of One Pocket, $15,000 added 1995, Shooter's, Olathe,KS

8. Not sure of the year but around 98', Legends of One Pocket, Baton Rouge, $20,000 added at the Belle Of Baton Rouge casino

9. Another Legends at the same place the next year, $20,000 added

10. Not sure of this year but about 97', Hampton, VA Back Pocket 9 Ball,
$15,000 added

10. Seniors event Portland, ME, $20,000 added late nineties

11.Naples, Fl Senior event, $40,000 added, around 03'

12.Legends tournament, Portland,ME, $20,000 added, 2000 the year

13. Grand Hotel, Gulfport, MS $20,000 added 04'
Without looking things up this an incomplete list of my tournaments
Click to expand...

WOW! Thanks for posting that extraordinary list. I have been gathering some pool-related data in recent times, and this is definitely going to be included.

Me personally, I never did like the pool tournaments that were held in the gambling cities like Vegas, though I noticed that you did have one in Reno. I would think that having tournaments down South would be more economical as far as venue sites like Gulfport, Naples, Baton Rouge, Hampton, and Columbia. There's something very special about tournaments in the South, a whole different atmosphere.

One-pocket has had a renewed sense of interest in recent times. I have grown tired of the nine-ball tournaments, the luck of the break, racking discrepancies, et cetera. It would be incredibly cool if a one-pocket tournament were on the horizon. Since you have expertise in promoting tournaments, making them happen, I, for one, would look forward to such an event down the road, and I don't think you would have any problem whatsoever filling up the player roster with one-pocket players.

JAM
 
I forgot one very important event. Leonard Bludworth and I had an All-around tournament in Tampa, FL in 1983 which had $20,000 added
 
Grady said:
I forgot one very important event. Leonard Bludworth and I had an All-around tournament in Tampa, FL in 1983 which had $20,000 added
Click to expand...

Does this look about right? Help me out with the EXACT wording in the titles, so that I can reference them properly.

1983 All Around Pocket Billiards Open, (Tampa, Florida)
1990 and 1991, Legends of One-Pocket Championship, (Columbia, South Carolina)
1991 Legends of One-Pocket Championship, (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
1993 Legends of One-Pocket Championship, (Reno, Nevada)
1994 Legends of One-Pocket Championship, (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
1995 The Maine Event 14.1 Championship, (Portland, Maine)
1995 Legends of One-Pocket Championship, (Olathe, Kansas)
1997 Back Pocket Nine-Ball Open, (Hampton, Virginia)
1998 and 1999, Legends of One-Pocket Championship, (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)
1999 Seniors Nine-ball Championship, (Portland, Maine)
2000 Legends of One-Pocket Championship, (Portland, Maine)
2003 Seniors Nine-ball Championship, (Naples, Florida)
2004 Gulf Coast Classic, (Gulfport, Mississippi)

Thanks in advance!

JAM

EDIT: Yes, JimmyB500, I remember that tournament, too. I think it was in 2003, about a month or two before the U.S. Open. My memory is failing!
 
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That has to be just a partial list. I went to the Columbia, SC tourny in 03 or 04 when he had the 14.1 and one pocket back to back. During the windup of the event Grady said to make plans to come back next year, so I did, but like so many times before, it did not prevail. I always wondered why not. The attendance seemed ok. I had a great time even though the motel tried to cheat me on my debit card. But that sure wasn't Grady's fault. I remember it well because it was when Grady tried out the rule change in one pocket where you spot up the balls when they got up table.......
 
Thanks

Grady,

Thanks for posting the partial listing, just for the informational value. I knew you had promoted quite a few events but I had no idea that you had done it for two decades.

Needless to say, I never questioned your credentials as a promoter or a player.

Hu


Grady said:
Jam asked for a list of what tournaments I promoted. Here is a partial list:
1. Legends of One Pocket, $20,000 added 1990 Radisson hotel Columbia,SC

2. Legends of One Pocket $20,000 added 1991 Columbia,SC

3. Legends of One Pocket $20,000 added, 1991 Philadelphia (Airport Hilton)

4.Super Tournament ( Legends of One Pocket) Reno,NV $61,500 added,
downtown Reno Hilton, promoted by Ritchie Florence and me, 1993

5. 1994 Legends of One Pocket, Philadelphia, $20,000 added Pete Fusco's Family Billiards

6. The Maine Event, $25,000 added Straight Pool, Portland,ME The Spot
Shot Billiards, 1995

7. The Legends of One Pocket, $15,000 added 1995, Shooter's, Olathe,KS

8. Not sure of the year but around 98', Legends of One Pocket, Baton Rouge, $20,000 added at the Belle Of Baton Rouge casino

9. Another Legends at the same place the next year, $20,000 added

10. Not sure of this year but about 97', Hampton, VA Back Pocket 9 Ball,
$15,000 added

10. Seniors event Portland, ME, $20,000 added late nineties

11.Naples, Fl Senior event, $40,000 added, around 03'

12.Legends tournament, Portland,ME, $20,000 added, 2000 the year

13. Grand Hotel, Gulfport, MS $20,000 added 04'
Without looking things up this an incomplete list of my tournaments
Click to expand...
 
Hi, just wanted to correct some of the dates/names for JAM. The back-pocket tournament was in '95, and is listed in the Accu-Stats catalog simply as the "Back Pocket Championships." I don't know if that's just an abbreviated name, but that's all I've come up with. Both Baton Rouge events were in '98, one early in the year and one later in the year. The early event of that year was known as the World One-Pocket Championship. The 2000 event in Maine was also a World Championship.
 
I would have to get out old billiard mags to do a complete list. And yes, I did forget the one we had here in Columbia at the then Sheraton. The reason we didn't come back is because even though we more than met our quotas they wanted to charge us for the space.
That tournament was $20,000 total added One Pocket and Straight Pool.
 
Don't let them get to you Grady. At your age I'd expect to have a bit of a list. You can hardly notice it in your avatar.

Boro Nut
 
I was driving down to Columbia from Charlotte every day at lunch to enjoy seeing the great straight pool players, and taking a three hour lunch. I got to see Dick Lane-Dallas West-Dan Barouty-Grady and Wade Crane play some great 14-1 and others I can't remember right now. I hope you can do that again and add banks this time.--Leonard
 
One other thing that should be mentioned is that the majority of the best one pocket tapes around were filmed at Grady's events. Older Legends events captured some of the all time greatest players. I never would of had a chance to see players like Bugs, Cornbread, Cook, Fusco,etc...the list of players is amazing.

Grady's commentary on a lot of those matches is also invaluable. Today's playes are very lucky to have guys like Grady around to make learning the game so much easier than the old days where nobody shared anything.
 
Thanks, Bud,
You know, there's been some talk from very brave people about me playing young guys who hardly ever miss a ball. Well, my skills have certainly diminished and that isn't smart for me to do.
What I don't understand, though is why haven't pool lovers e-mailed and phoned ESPN , Billiard club network, etc. about the godawful commentary that is in use now and recommend a guy like me? Speaking about our sport IS something I can still do well. Why aren't auditions held?
Now, aside from how terrible Hopkins and Mitch are, there was Charlie Williams and Jennifer Baretta, Gabe Owens spouting "Schnizel my Schnitzle" or whatever that was and a player whose name I won't mention here who got complimented for only using three double negatives.
There are plenty of older comentators in other sports and on the news every night. I'd just like my chance. But it's starting to look like I won't ever get it.
 
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