Tommy Spencer

Island Drive

Island Drive

Otto/Dads College Roommate/Cleveland Browns
Silver Member
Just thought I'd pass this along, he has passed away. RIP and the best to his family and friends. Tommy and Joey Gold and I were Always battling during the sixties and our youth. I loaned em a few dollars yrs ago, he remembered, I forgot and he showed me a side I never knew when some yrs later he said here's the money I owe ya.
See ya in the future ma man, you were a good guy.
 
He was a monster 9 ball player !! Saw him play many times in Chicago in the late 70's when I was a teenager.....

R.I.P. Tommy
 
Island Drive said:
Just thought I'd pass this along, he has passed away. RIP and the best to his family and friends. Tommy and Joey Gold and I were Always battling during the sixties and our youth. I loaned em a few dollars yrs ago, he remembered, I forgot and he showed me a side I never knew when some yrs later he said here's the money I owe ya.
See ya in the future ma man, you were a good guy.
Click to expand...

Sad to hear. He played at DCC a few years ago. He looked fine but his game wasn't the same as back when he was tearing up the middle of the country. But he did nearly beat Appleton in the one pocket.
 
The Rack in Detroit...1978....a set of 9-ball fr $5,000

The 7-ball was hanging in the corner...the cue-ball was near the jaws of
the side pocket....Tom Spencer needed a massive draw shot for the 8-ball.
He shot...the cue-ball hit the back of the pocket with a bang....the 7-ball
had fallen before whitey got there.
For a split second nobody knew what happened....then..What do you do?
I was asked...I suggested Tom gets the shot over again.
They argued and a rerack was decided.

I can't remember the opponent.

RIP Tom
 
friend of mine Bob Romano used to play him back in the 70's Has some good stories about him.Sounds like he was a class act. RIP Tommy.
 
R.i.p.

Wow seems like yesterday going to Chitown looking for action Tommy Rocketman Wendel DICK Freddy . We all will end up in the big poolhall someday just dont know which floor . Tommy always treated me good and was a great competitor .RIP
 
Bob Jewett said:
Sad to hear. He played at DCC a few years ago. He looked fine but his game wasn't the same as back when he was tearing up the middle of the country. But he did nearly beat Appleton in the one pocket.
Click to expand...
He was also a smart guy and a sought-after instructor. I think 14.1 was his game of choice.

pj
chgo
 
I had the privilege of playing Tommy deep in State tournament at the Chattanooga Billiard Club that used to take place every year in November at the down town Club. I lost to Tommy 9-1...and I never missed a Ball. The one rack he didn't make anything on the break and I was able to kick in a ball and run that rack. Well I came up dry on the break and yep, he ran out again. The only other shot i got was when he played safe and made me kick at it...I made a good hit and Tommy proceeded to run out the set. He was always a true Gentleman as far as I was concerned. Many Thanks to Phil Windom, for he treated me and my friends very good every time we went there from Pa. ... R.I.P. ..... TOMMY .....
 
Sad to hear. I got to know Tom at Derby City and liked him. If memory serves, Tom had a four hour one pocket match with Darren Appleton in 2009 that went double hill and Tom won it. He had a lot of heart over the glorious green felt and he'll be missed.

Condolences to his family and friends.
 
Last edited:
It's getting very sad in here lately. Many of my contemporaries are leaving us. They don't seem that old to me (most are younger than me). I played Tom when I first went to Chicago in the 60's (George Michaels first, then Joey Gold and finally Tommy). Tommy was the best of the bunch! We played again a few years later in San Jose in the semis of a pool tourney (I lost again). He was a good guy to play with, always a good sport. We remained friends all these years.

Tommy was a mainstay on those killer teams that John Arbruzzo put together in the 80's and 90's. They won the BCA almost every year. Tommy, Abruzzo, Dallas West, Mike Bandy, Jeff Carter, George Pawelski, Larry Schwartz, and even Billy Cardone sometimes. NO ONE could beat these teams!
 
Last edited:
I remember seeing Tommy in a 4-handed 9-ball ring game, Las Vegas, in the mid-80's. Keith McCready and two other champions were in the game. At $40 a man, Tommy must've been up $1000 after running racks like he owned the table. The game busted after Keith's backer ran dry and the other players had seen enough. Tommy really impressed me that day.

Sorry to hear of his passing. He couldn't have been that old.
 
8ballEinstein said:
I remember seeing Tommy in a 4-handed 9-ball ring game, Las Vegas, in the mid-80's. Keith McCready and two other champions were in the game. At $40 a man, Tommy must've been up $1000 after running racks like he owned the table. The game busted after Keith's backer ran dry and the other players had seen enough. Tommy really impressed me that day.

Sorry to hear of his passing. He couldn't have been that old.
Click to expand...

He was sixty'ish.
 
Got up early and started thinking about Tommy again, makes me sad plus.... hearing the relationships he had with other players during our era, is a wonderful insight to a guy I grew up with and battled with in the sixties and seventies. When I think of Tommy I also think of Louie Lemke, another who's missed, and another who was always Fun to be around and a gentleman. These midwestern boys were class acts................................
 
jay helfert said:
It's getting very sad in here lately. Many of my contemporaries are leaving us. They don't seem that old to me (most are younger than me). I played Tom when I first went to Chicago in the 60's (George Michaels first, then Joey Gold and finally Tommy). Tommy was the best of the bunch! We played again a few years later in San Jose in the semis of a pool tourney (I lost again). He was a good guy to play with, always a good sport. We remained friends all these years.

Tommy was a mainstay on those killer teams that John Arbruzzo put together in the 80's and 90's. They won the BCA almost every year. Tommy, Abruzzo, Dallas West, Mike Bandy, Jeff Carter, George Pawelski, Larry Schwartz, and even Billy Cardone sometimes. NO ONE could beat these teams!
Click to expand...

Excuse me, Jaybird. I was on one of those teams that won the national championship in Milwaukee. Abruzzo, Pawelski, Artie Bodendorfer and myself. I also came in 3rd in that same tournament with the team of Abruzzo, Pawelski, myself and Tommy Spencer!

Beard
 
Tom Spencer was a great guy and always was pleasure to watch on the pool table. Back in the early 2000's Cue-N-You Billiards Grayslake IL had a 3rd Saturday 9 ball tourney every month. Tommy was always there, and was one of the few players that could give Larry Nevel and Marco Marquez a challange. I got to watch some great pool and will miss you Tom R.I.P.
 
Watched Tom play many times at the Velvet Rail in Lansing. I also remember quite vividly watching him play another regional pro at the time, Wendall Weir, one afternoon at Marie's Golden Cue in Chicago. Tom was a great player.
 
Does anyone remember who was sponsoring Tommy in the early 80's, he was at the top of his game then. It was a Real sponsor at that time.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top