Stories behind nicknames

[hemicudas]

he was also known at one time as "hippie".........I remember some people talking about a guy that played real sporty, this was in '71' ......
they didn't know his name , and just refered to him as hippie, because of his long hair..........I would be interested to hear from anyone who also remembers this.......................

That would be Hippie Jimmy reid.

 

[bigskyjake]

Cole Dickson also used to be known as "hippie"

 

[gin314]

johnny archer

archer's nickname has nothing to do with a necklace bridge or cue he had a pet scorpion when he was a kid ask him

 

[Fatboy]

there was a guy who came to the pool room in Vegas 3-4 times a year and put guys in action he was from back east somewhere, they called him "Tiny" he was 6'5" and atleast 500 pounds

 

[Pushout]

Everything Scorpion came ''after" the cue maker sponsored him. NIC-NAME AFTER THE CUE NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND. GOT THE NECKLACE AFTER THE CUE, ETC. Sorry to burst your bubble but that's that way it is.

Not the way I remember it. I think he had the necklace long before Scorpion cues got started.

 

[crawfish]

Sorry, on this one

Everything Scorpion came ''after" the cue maker sponsored him. NIC-NAME AFTER THE CUE NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND. GOT THE NECKLACE AFTER THE CUE, ETC. Sorry to burst your bubble but that's that way it is.

Sorry, but Johnny has been wearing that necklace since 1990-92. He had it in Raleigh when he lived here. He's always went by the Scorpion. I'd be willing to bet that Scorpion cues came after the fact.

 

[VIProfessor]

When I was a kid living in Lansing, MI, I made my first trip to Detroit and saw Cornbread Red play. I asked someone how he got that nickname and they gave me a story that had to do with a brand of chewing tobacco. Does anyone know if this is true and, if so, what the story is?

In Bob Henning's bio of Cornbread, he states that it took a little while for a nickname to take hold. There was stuff like "The Paducah Kid" and what not. At any rate, he matched up with a guy (both playing one handed), and the opponent's backer was making fun of the fact that Billly (Red) had been munching on some cornbread that he had brought in a paper bag. As the match wore on and Red continued to drill the opponent, the backer's use of the term "Cornbread" gradually changed from one of derision to one of respect, and the name stuck.

 

[Cornerman]

I just read a portion of Danny Diliberto's book "the road player" (which is excellent in my opinion) and he talks in one section about the tuscaloosa squirrel, marshall carpenter. They called him the squirrel because you couldn't see the whites of his eyes, only brown, like a squirrel. Does anyone else know any stories behind nickenames of great players?

http://forums.azbilliards.com/search.php?searchid=960279


Fred

 

[Williebetmore]

Correct. Many nicknames are given as a description. "Fats", "Slim", "Lefty", "Too Tall", "Red", "One Eye", "Shorty" etc. etc.

JH,
You neglected to mention the ever-popular "Toupee".

 

[Jack Madden]

When I was a kid living in Lansing, MI, I made my first trip to Detroit and saw Cornbread Red play. I asked someone how he got that nickname and they gave me a story that had to do with a brand of chewing tobacco. Does anyone know if this is true and, if so, what the story is?

According to "Cornbread Red" book by Bob Henning, it was due to a bookie. Billy Burge was called Red. He was matching up for a game (at a $1k) and eating cornbread wrapped in a piece of paper. As the game progressed the bookie kept calling him cornbread, first as derogatory then later as Red beat his boy it was with respect - bookie was telling every one how he was taking Cornbread Red to Chicago to make a killing.

 

[CreeDo]

I always thought johnny had a sort of scorpionish look to his break. He stabs forward and stings the rack and his rear leg kinda curls up almost to his beltline, like a curling scorpion's tail.

lol? I dunno, it seriously made me think that when I saw a poster of him breaking.

My favorite nickname is "ATM".