Ronnie Allen (pool player)
Personal information | |
---|---|
Nickname | "Fast Eddie" |
Born | Danville, Illinois, U.S. | July 12, 1938
Died | February 6, 2013 | (aged 74)
Sport | |
Sport | Billiards |
Event | One Pocket Hall of Fame |
Updated on 16 April 2013. |
Ronnie Monroe "Fast Eddie" Allen (July 12, 1938 – February 6, 2013) was an American professional pool player. He was labeled as a pool "super star" in the prime of his pool-shooting career by his peers during pool's golden era.[1][2][3]
For several decades from the early 60s to the late 80s, Allen was considered one of the best
Some believe that
Early days
Born in Danville, Illinois, Ronnie Allen was there only a week, when his family had to move. His father was part-owner of a carnival, and the entire family, who worked at the carnival, moved every week to a new town.
When Ronnie was 11 years old, his father was killed in a motor vehicle accident, leaving his mother to raise his brother, sister, and himself. She bought a restaurant in Oklahoma City on the corner of 40th and May Avenue. Living the carnival lifestyle for much of his youth, Ronnie had never been in one place for more than a week, and now he had a permanent home and stayed in the same school all year, developing steady friendships.
A friend of the family owned a pool room in Oklahoma City that Ronnie passed by each day on his way to his mom's restaurant, where the entire family worked. When he was 14 years old, he had developed his game playing at this room on a daily basis.[6]
The first pool tournament he ever entered in 1961 was held at Cochran's, a popular pool room that stayed open all night long in
Allen was 20 years old when he met and married Faye in San Francisco, after a very short courtship. Pool was going through a slump at the time, especially in the Bay Area, so they decided to move to Southern California. Faye's family was from Minnesota. They settled in Burbank. Faye and Ronnie had three children, two girls and a boy: Tracy the oldest, Ronnie Jr., and Reina. Those who knew Ronnie from the pool rooms would get a different view if they saw him at home with his family at this time. He adored his family and enjoyed being a father.[8]
Professional career
The Power One Pocket strategy was credited to Ronnie Allen, as he could move several balls away from his opponent's pocket and towards his own, which is a valuable skill when playing the
The tournaments were gathering places for the pool players who enjoyed games of stake. Ronnie "Fast Eddie" Allen offered to gamble with anybody when he was in his prime. Often he would walk into a tournament venue and announce that he would play anybody willing to step up, boasting he was the best in the world. And much to his surprise, people stepped up to play the "great" one.[10][11]
Allen had developed a one-handed skill set that enabled him to get games that he otherwise could not because of his ability to play all games well. He would offer to play one-handed to his opponent's two hands, and this eventually became his trademark handicap, which would often occur in after-hour matches at pool tournaments.[12]
Amarillo Slim in his book recalls Ronnie's banter in the pool room: "I'm called 'Fast Eddie' 'cause I shoot fast, talk fast, and bet fast. I'm the best one pocket player in this country, bar none. I'm so good I can't even get a game unless I give it away first."[13]
Allen was known as a "one pocket specialist."[14]
Billiard Congress of America Hall of Famer Eddie Kelly said, "Ronnie Allen was the best one pocket player I ever played."[15]
At a well-known annual pool event held in Johnston City, Illinois, it was in 1972 that Ronnie Allen grabbed the microphone before a standing-room-only crowd and offered to play any living human being a game of one pocket, spotting them a handicap of 10 to 8. And nobody raised their hand. This was known as Ronnie's standard offer to anyone who wanted to gamble with him.[16]
In a 1972 news broadcast showcasing the Johnston City annual pool tournaments promoted by the Jansco Brothers, the anchor man said this about Ronnie Allen: When "Fast Eddie" Ronnie Allen steps into the red-carpeted pit for a game of 9-ball, the Texas carnival owner will give you a $200 bet faster than Fast Eddie can chalk his cue, and the hustler will shoot as long as the action lasts. More money changes hands in the stands in one hour than a cashier at the Bank of Johnston City sees in a week.[17][18]
Filmography
In 1972, Allen owned a pool room in
A few weeks later, Brascha writes a script about the road trip and sold the rights to
Kelly left the pool scene and became a card dealer at the MGM casino in
For reasons unknown, Universal only had the movie six months when it reverted to John Brascha and a producer by the name of
Brascha attempted to salvage the script and not leave himself liable with Ronnie Allen and Ed Kelly. He eliminated certain scenes and substituted others, and the original script, which was supposed to be tailored after Allen and Kelly, then became the film The Baltimore Bullet (1980).[19]
Titles and achievements
- 1962 Cochran's One-Pocket Championship
- 1966 Stardust Open 9-Ball Championship
- 1966 Stardust Open All-Around Championship
- 1970 International 9-Ball Tournament
- 1970 Johnston City One-Pocket Championship
- 1984 Houston Red's Open One-Pocket
- 1988 One-Pocket Challenge Match vs. (Danny DiLiberto)
- 2004 One-Pocket Hall of Fame
References
- ^ "Rack 'em up with Ronnie Allen" onepocket.org [Retrieved 9 February 2013]
- ^ "Bennie The Goose Conway" tampabilliards.com [Retrieved 9 February 2013]
- ^ "Ronnie Allen Passes Away" billiardsdigest.com [Retrieved 11 February 2013]
- ^ "Ronnie 'Fast Eddie' Allen Dies"onepocket.org [Retrieved 9 February 2013]
- ^ "Still Behind the Eight-Ball: Color of Money Keeps Longtime Pool Player Ronnie Allen Going" by David Wharton July 2, 1987 Los Angeles Times [Retrieved 9 February 2013]
- ^ "The Man You Love to Hate: Ronnie Allen," by Bob Pierce, National Tavern News, page 12, February 1984. Retrieved 10 February 2013
- ^ "Rack 'em up with Ronnie Allen" onepocket.org [Retrieved 9 February 2013]
- ^ "Ronnie The Man" by Bob Pierce, National Tavern News, page 6, April 1984. Retrieved 10 February 2013
- ^ Ronnie Allen Hall of Fame onepocket.org [Retrieved 11 February 2013]
- ^ "Coolest Hand With a Cue" sportsillustrated.cnn.com [Retrieved 9 February 2013]
- ^ "Tribute to a Friend" confessionsofapoolhustler.com [Retrieved 9 February 2013]
- ^ Ronnie Allen Hall of Fame" onepocket.org Retrieved 11 February 2013
- ^ "Amarillo Slim in a Word Full of Fat People" by Amarillo Slim Prescott and Greg Dinkin, page 22 [Retrieved 9 February 2013]
- ^ "Hustler Days: Minnesota Fats, Wimpy Lassiter, Jersey Red, and America's Great Age of Pool" by R.A. Dyer, page 127 [Retrieved 9 February 2013]
- ^ "Interview of Ed Kelly" Archived January 1, 2013, at the Wayback Machine azbilliards.com [Retrieved 9 February 2013]
- ^ "Tribute to Ronnie Allen" freepoollessons.com Retrieved 10 February 2013
- ^ "Johnston City Pool Hustling" Retrieved 10 February 2013
- ^ "The Jansco Bros. Johnston City Tournaments" onepocket.org Retrieved 10 February 2013
- ^ "Ronnie the Man", by Bob Pierce, page 12, National Tavern News April 1984 Retrieved 10 February 2013