Tony Ellin
- Thread starter atthecat
- Start date
I to think he was a great player. He would have , in my opinion, been one of the greats. Very big loss to the pool world indeed. I have several tapes recorded of him playing, I will have to get em out and watch them again due to this post.
Thanx,
Jim Lee
Thanx,
Jim Lee
mullyman said:
"On Wednesday, June 14, the billiard world was dealt the tragic loss of one of its finest players. Tony "The Hurricane" Ellin, 34, of Ladson, S.C. was killed Wednesday when a train hit his 1999 Cadillac as he crossed an intersection. The collision, which occurred just before noon, happened less than a block from his home." from Ted Haris' website
Saw
J&D CUSTOMS said:
Tony and Efren matched up during one of our tournaments on one of our CCTV tables, Tony getting IIRC 9-7 for 10 or 20 a game. I put a fresh tape in and had 3+ good hours of both of them playing lights out one hole. It was some of the best 1p I have ever seen Efren play.... Long story short, someone stole the tape 2 or 3 weeks later. I was salty about it when it happened but after Tony died I've been just plain bitter about it. If someone out there has my tape, you may enjoy watching it but it actually means something to me and I want it back!
Saw
I was fortunate enough to witness Tony win the Sands Regency tournament in 94'. He demolished C.J. Wiley in the finals. Some of the best pool I've ever seen. He had a huge break, just crushed them.
I was sitting in the stands behind Archer, Varner and Sigel and after the match was over I overheard Nick say something to the effect that it was the best pool he had ever seen in a final match.
His death was tragic. He was definitely a champion.
Edit: I believe this picture was taken right after he won the tournament in 94'.
I was sitting in the stands behind Archer, Varner and Sigel and after the match was over I overheard Nick say something to the effect that it was the best pool he had ever seen in a final match.
His death was tragic. He was definitely a champion.
Edit: I believe this picture was taken right after he won the tournament in 94'.
Last edited:
i played him after he won a major tournament, i played him at a hard times warm up must have been 94 or so, i dont know. anyway, i missed, he ran 4. i missed a billiard he ran about 3. i won a game and missed and he ran 4 or so more. 11-1 final. i was thoroughly impressed with his game.
Rubyron said:
At JOB's in Nashville they have pictures and stuff of him in a display when you walk in, I was leaving with Shannon Daulton and Archer, they both got to talking about him and wow that was cool justto sit and listen, man those guys loved Tony and grieve to this day and will forever. I have heard some of the stories about Tony I cant share from some of his closest friends and I wish I knew him, only spoke to him a couple times. Dieing aint worth a shit, God rest his sole.
Tony in Akron
In the middle 80's I watched Tony play in Starchers pool room. The Akron Open was a 5K added event that brought out the best. Jose Parica was in stroke and dominated his side of the bracket. He was destroying opponenets. He met Ellin in the final. The weather was damp and the tables played slow and wet. Jose couldn't get the break together. Tony had power to spare and he broke and ran out consistently. There was nothing for Parica to do but watch the hurricane. Tony is missed
In the middle 80's I watched Tony play in Starchers pool room. The Akron Open was a 5K added event that brought out the best. Jose Parica was in stroke and dominated his side of the bracket. He was destroying opponenets. He met Ellin in the final. The weather was damp and the tables played slow and wet. Jose couldn't get the break together. Tony had power to spare and he broke and ran out consistently. There was nothing for Parica to do but watch the hurricane. Tony is missed
Fatboy said:
JOB has been a good friend of mine for going on 40 years now. JOB, and Tony were pretty tight to say the least. After he died, JOB went on a fund raising binge for the family...college funds for the kid(s).
I owed Jim a few hundred, and when I paid...he threw it into the pot for the family. He's a hell of a guy...
I was fortunate to get to see him play in the '94 World 9-Ball tournament in Vegas. A great player with a extremely powerful break. I've never seen a player use "body english" the way Tony did. I have an autographed 9-ball from Tony sitting in a box somewhere. As soon as I get my basement finished out and the pool table setup, I'll have to get it out and put it on display.
Matt
Matt
First off, if I hear "lights out" one more time, I will vomit. Let's pick up a new saying, can we?atthecat said:
Tony was counting his cash after a good score (about $3500). He didn't see the train. The money was still in his lap. It was about a mile from his home. I know Shelby was devastated. Raleigh still has a tourney in his memorial.
Also, throw in "hits a ton." I will vomit on that one, too.
They had a match of his on ESPN Classic recently and I was amazed at his break, he could really crush the rack. What was interesting was that he didn't have a long backstroke, unlike Bustamante who dang near pulls the cue from out of his bridge hand. His backstroke was somewhat compact and then he exploded forward with his body. If you lose control of the cue ball a lot, it's something to consider incorporating into your game. It's much easier to control the cue ball with a shorter backstroke and you can still generate power.
Eric
Eric
