We All Lost Dear Friend - Bob Byrne
- Thread starter 12squared
- Start date
RIP Bob. Prayers out to his loved ones. I'm glad I got to know you!
I met Bob for the last time at the recently concluded Verhoeven 3-Cushion Invitational in NYC.
We spoke only briefly, but I'm glad that I was able to thank him personally for all his memorable works about pool and billiards.
The pool and billiards world will always be grateful to Robert Byrne.
We spoke only briefly, but I'm glad that I was able to thank him personally for all his memorable works about pool and billiards.
The pool and billiards world will always be grateful to Robert Byrne.
I was lucky enough to talk and play billiards with him many times when he lived in my home town in Northern Cal.
His books weren't just miles above almost all the other instructional material available at the time, they had a character to them that was special.
Huge loss for the game...especially for three cushion players.
Condolences to his family.
His books weren't just miles above almost all the other instructional material available at the time, they had a character to them that was special.
Huge loss for the game...especially for three cushion players.
Condolences to his family.
The greatest of all times. May he Rest In Peace.
God bless Robert Byrne. I loved all his wonderful books, they taught me so much.
The first time I benefited from Bob being with us is when he and some other fanatics organized a big 3-cushion tournament in San Francisco in 1966. It brought Raymond Ceulemans to the US for the first time. One of the players was Danny McGoorty.
I met him later about the time he published "McGoorty" (1972) and we stayed in contact at billiard tournaments until I started working near where he played -- Harry's Billiards in Novato, CA. It was nice to have another engineer to talk to about the game we both loved. When his "Standard Book of Pool and Billiards" came out in 1978 it was head and shoulders above anything previously published on the game. It remains the most complete and readable work on beginning through advanced play.
Bob wrote about a tremendous range of aspects of the game. History, personalities, off-beat games, and even political moves were all covered with his characteristic accuracy and depth, and especially his wit. Writing was not a quick thing for him -- he said that he would sometimes spend a day on a single page to get it just right.
I last had the pleasure of his company a few months ago at the Verhoeven Open in NYC. He was a little weak from a stroke he had had about a year before, but he had fun and he was fun to be with.
We have the memories and we still have the books.
-- Bob Jewett
I met him later about the time he published "McGoorty" (1972) and we stayed in contact at billiard tournaments until I started working near where he played -- Harry's Billiards in Novato, CA. It was nice to have another engineer to talk to about the game we both loved. When his "Standard Book of Pool and Billiards" came out in 1978 it was head and shoulders above anything previously published on the game. It remains the most complete and readable work on beginning through advanced play.
Bob wrote about a tremendous range of aspects of the game. History, personalities, off-beat games, and even political moves were all covered with his characteristic accuracy and depth, and especially his wit. Writing was not a quick thing for him -- he said that he would sometimes spend a day on a single page to get it just right.
I last had the pleasure of his company a few months ago at the Verhoeven Open in NYC. He was a little weak from a stroke he had had about a year before, but he had fun and he was fun to be with.
We have the memories and we still have the books.
-- Bob Jewett
Last edited:
An annual, memorial tournament would be a good way to honor the man who has given us so much.
Robert Byrne....BCA Hall of Fame member.
High run at 3-cushion.....14....twice.
...walked into Raymond Ceulemans' room in Belgium....won the lag...ran 8 off the break.
Raymond looked around at his customers with a big smile....said..."This man can PLAY."
I feel really privileged to have met this fine person.
I respected every word he said.....and so did he.
High run at 3-cushion.....14....twice.
...walked into Raymond Ceulemans' room in Belgium....won the lag...ran 8 off the break.
Raymond looked around at his customers with a big smile....said..."This man can PLAY."
I feel really privileged to have met this fine person.
I respected every word he said.....and so did he.
Bob has probably contributed more to the pool world than any other single individual regarding the number of people he has impacted. His amazing instructional works were ground breaking and set an incredibly high standard for all future works. And I am sure they will still be considered the gold standard for many years to come. On a personal note, I have lost an inspiring role model and pool hero.
RIP Bob
RIP Bob
Last edited:
Here is a nice article on Bob that his wife posted on Facebook from the Dubuque, IA newspaper I thought you may like to read:
http://www.telegraphherald.com/obit...80A41661D6A71FA0187947378DBD46286D1E1340B2A26
Dave
http://www.telegraphherald.com/obit...80A41661D6A71FA0187947378DBD46286D1E1340B2A26
Dave
I feel Bob's table ended up in a very fitting place, Doc.
I certainly feel honored and blessed to have Bob's table in my basement.
I will do my best to honor his memory by doing the best work possible using his table.
Last edited:
Hear, hear! Tap, tap, tap.