Have you ever heard the name of Earl Strickland? If not, he is one of the greatest pool players ever. Some people may not know the pool game or require a deep understanding of it. It is a popular game played on a pocket billiard table and involves 15 numbered object balls and a white cue ball. It can be played between two individuals or in teams. In the game, players push the balls in pockets made on the sides of the table to score points; the one with the highest score wins the game. However, their are many variations of the game depending on where you play it.
Now that you understand the pool game better let’s return to the main topic, Earl Strickland. He participated and won in several pool events such as the World Pool Championship, Mosconi Cup, The World Cup of Pool, etc. Earl owned around 100 titles during his professional pool career and left a big impact on the global landscape of this sport. In today’s blog, we will his life story, achievements, and career, so keep reading the blog and learn about this pool behemoth.
Earl Strickland: Beginning Of Life
Widely regarded as the best pool player in the world by many, Earl Strickland was born on 8 June 1961. He is the son of the late Clarence and Lucy Winters Strickland. He grew up on a farm in Roseboro, N.C. (North Carolina). When he was nine years old, he started hanging around local pool halls and learning the basics of the game. Earl beat the town’s best pool players with exceptional skills when he was 12.
Earl Strickland: Career
Earl Strickland participated in a professional tournament for the first time at the age of 16. He continued with his first-class game and gained national prominence in 1983 by winning the Caesars Tahoe Billiard Classic. In 1984, he won the McDermott Masters 9-Ball Championship. Throughout his pool career, Earl was very dominant and proved it by winning other tournaments like the PBA World 9-Ball Championship.
Earl Strickland: Awards
Earl Strickland was the Billiards Digest Player Of The Year in 1984, 85, 87, 88, and 2000. He set remarkable records by winning the WPA (World Pool-Billiard Association) World Nine-ball Championships three times and the U.S. Open Nine-ball Championships five times. Earl was undefeated at the Mosconi Cup from 1996 to 2005, along with several other championship wins. Earl is a prominent pool player who also ran 11 consecutive racks in the First PCA tournament to win $1,000,000 and achieve an untouched feat.
Earl Strickland: Controversies
Undoubtedly, Earl Strickland is an exceptional pool player who has greatly impacted the sport. However, every celebrity encounters some controversies in their career, and Earl faced them too. Scroll down to learn about the controversies connected to Strickland.
WPA World Nine-Ball Championship: 2003
Earl’s 2003 WPA World Nine-ball Championship match with snooker star Steve Davis was infamous. He entered the arena quietly and engaged in heated arguments with fans and the referee during the game. Davis took two entitled breaks in the match, but only one was allowed; Earl also complained about that. TV microphones also caught Earl using foul language with a fan.
Mosconi Cup: 2006 to 2008
Earl competed in a match against Nick Van Den Berg at the 2006 Mosconi Cup. The audience cheered for Nick Van Den Berg during the match, but booed Earl Strickland. In a match against Thomas Engert, Strickland even broke his cue out of frustration; however, he changed the broken shaft and won the match by 7-4.
At the 2007 Mosconi Cup in Las Vegas, Strickland strongly complained about fans’ misbehavior in his match against Daryl Peach. The next year, in 2008, Strickland engaged in arguing with European fans about the table during the opening night match when fans said it was easy to play on this table.
Earl Strickland: Achievements
As we discussed, Earl Strickland made phenomenal records, winning several titles and securing numerous achievements in his name. Scroll down to learn about them:
- 1982: Akron and Dayton 9-Open Ball
- 1983: Caesars Tahoe Billiard Classic
- 1984: Billiards Digest Player of the Year, U.S. Open Nine-ball Championship, Houston Palace Billiard Classic, etc.
- 1985: North California Fall 9-Ball Classic, Billiard Digest Player of the Year, Tar Heel 9-Ball Open, Clyde Childress Memorial 9-Ball Open, etc.
- 1986: B.C. Open 9-Ball Pro-Am Doubles, South Carolina 9-Ball Open, Bowling Green 9-Ball Open, etc.
Earl Strickland kept playing in international pool competitions till 2018 and won at least one championship, showing his dominance on the billiard table.
Earl is a polished gem in the pool game. His championship title wins and prowess in the sport were enough to get him inducted into the Billiard Congress of America’s Hall of Fame in 2006.
