The PPPA

Bob Jewett

Bob Jewett

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Since we have a new organization called the PPPA, it's interesting to see what the first PPPA did. (The first PPPA was certainly not the first players' organization. In 1954, overlapping with Mosconi's 526, a players' organization was having their own World Championship independent from Brunswick.)

Here is something about the first major action by PPPA Sr. You can find more in the old issues of NBN which are in the Goldmine found on the AZB front page.


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Bob Jewett said:
Since we have a new organization called the PPPA, it's interesting to see what the first PPPA did. (The first PPPA was certainly not the first players' organization. In 1954, overlapping with Mosconi's 526, a players' organization was having their own World Championship independent from Brunswick.)

Here is something about the first major action by PPPA Sr. You can find more in the old issues of NBN which are in the Goldmine found on the AZB front page.


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Seems like yesterday, Bob. I attended the 1976 PPPA World Straight Pool Championships in Asbury Park and it was the first major tournament I ever watched live.
 
sjm said:
Seems like yesterday, Bob. I attended the 1976 PPPA World Straight Pool Championships in Asbury Park and it was the first major tournament I ever watched live.
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It was quite memorable, and not just for the pool. Did you enjoy Hurricane Belle ? It was my first exposure to the Jersey shore in August.
 
Bob Jewett said:
It was quite memorable, and not just for the pool. Did you enjoy Hurricane Belle ? It was my first exposure to the Jersey shore in August.
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The late Larry Lisciotti (and champion of that event) used to joke about his match in which the door was mistakenly opened briefly during the hurricane and all the balls went to the same rail. Needless to say, the rules didn't cover such an eventuality, so Larry was asked to replace the balls as best as he could remember. His opponent was then asked to review it and said it was OK. According to Larry, there was a dead combo after replacement, one that he shot, LOL.
 
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raphcleary said:
I meant when they stopped sanctioning the World 14.1 Championship, I believe the last PPPA World Championship was in 1986 won by Nick Varner
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Oops. Read the question wrong. Deleted my response.

The PPPA was replaced by the PBA. In Billiards Digest, the 1986 tournament was described as "after two dormant years."

Here is a column from the February 1986 issue of Billiards Digest.

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In that same issue BD is the comment:

.... Hopefully the emergence of the Professional Billiards Association as a cohesive force in 1986 will leave 9-ball rankings cut and dried. Until then, behold the Pro 9-Ball Tour as seen by the editorial staff at Billiards Digest. (tournament and rankings list)
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I think 1986 is the year that pro pool finished moving from 14.1 to 9-ball. Some 14.1 events continued but not nearly as many as 9-ball. The last US Open 14.1 as a major event was the 2000 edition in NYC at the Roseland Ballroom. I think it qualified as the de facto world championship. Now the American Straight Pool Championships (from Peter Burrows) have grown in player strength to match or exceed previous events, but the world is watching 9-ball.

Pat Fleming started gathering his statistics for 9-ball in 1984. See the first issue of his Accu-Stats newsletter. Around 1986 he was helping to organize the PBA.
 
measureman said:
heres where the 1976 tournament was held.
Convention Hall,Asbury Park N.J.
Just to the right is the Atlantic ocean


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The far corner on the right (behind) is where the doors came open as Hurricane Belle passed in 1976. The 1977 tournament was also there. Lisciotti won in 76 and Hopkins in 77.

The building has since hosted professional bull riding and from the smell the last time I went by, a whole bunch of Oktoberfest activity.
 
Bob Jewett said:
The far corner on the right (behind) is where the doors came open as Hurricane Belle passed in 1976. The 1977 tournament was also there. Lisciotti won in 76 and Hopkins in 77.

The building has since hosted professional bull riding and from the smell the last time I went by, a whole bunch of Oktoberfest activity.
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As a kid living at the N.J. shore in the '50's I would go to the annual summer boat show there.
I'm old.
I didn't attend the two tournaments as I was living out of state at that time.
A player that I played as a kid in the early '60's played in the 1976 one his name was Ernie Lager,he didn't make the one in '77 he was in the hospital dying of terminal stomach cancer.
 
measureman said:
As a kid living at the N.J. shore in the '50's I would go to the annual summer boat show there.
I'm old.
I didn't attend the two tournaments as I was living out of state at that time.
A player that I played as a kid in the early '60's played in the 1976 one his name was Ernie Lager,he didn't make the one in '77 he was in the hospital dying of terminal stomach cancer.
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I think Ernie was a founding member of the PPPA.
 
raphcleary said:
I did look through the archives. The PBA (Professional Billiards Association) was formed in 1984, with Terry Bell as the first president. Yes, the PBA sanctioned the 1985, 1988 and 1990 events. Then in 1991 the PBT (Professional Billiards Association) was formed by Don Mackey.
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So it seems that the PBA and the PPPA overlapped for a year or two?
 
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