Earl Strickland
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Earl Strickland, nicknamed "Earl the Pearl", is a famous American pool player and is generally considered one of the best nine-ball players of all time. He also has the monicker "Million Dollar Man" because he once ran eleven consecutive racks, against Nick Mannino, during the first PCA tournament, in 1996, where there was a stipulation that anyone who could break and run ten racks would win US$1,000,000.[1]
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[edit] History
Strickland was born on June 8, 1961, in Roseboro, North Carolina. He started playing pool at the age of nine, and after intensive practice he entered his first pro tournament at 15. Five years later he turned professional. Strickland is a multiple winner of the prestigious player of the year award and his career highlights include wins at the U.S. Open Nine-ball Championships, and the WPA World Nine-ball Championships. He is also an ever-present player for the American team in the annual Mosconi Cup tournament. Strickland is the only nine-ball champion ever to have made a title defense.[clarify]
Earl Strickland is known for being an emotional player.[citation needed] He often talks out loud while playing, and has gotten into confrontations with fans, players, referees and tournament officials. On at least one occasion, during the 2006 Mosconi cup, he broke his own cue by smashing it against the floor after a failed shot attempt[2][verification needed]
[edit] Notable tournament wins
- US Open Nine-ball Championship (1984, 1987, 1993, 1997, 2000)
- WPA World Nine-ball Championship (1990, 1991, 2002)
[edit] Other titles
- 2003 Viking National Nine-ball Championship
- 1999 Camel Shooters Nine-ball Open
- 1999 Camel Riviera Hotel Pro 8-Ball Open
- 1995 PBT Eastern States Memorial 9-Ball Championship
- 1994 PBT Glass City Open Nine-ball
- 1994 PBT World Nine-ball Championship
- 1993 PBT Florida Flare Up
- 1993 PBT Western Open
- 1992 MPBA Los Angeles Open
- 1992 MPBA Sands Regency XVI Nine-ball
- 1991 MPBA McDermott Masters Nine-ball
- 1990MPBA Lexington All-Star Nine-ball
- 1990 MPBA Sands Regent XI Nine-ball
- 1988 PBA Tara Open
- 1988 PBA Brunswick World Open
- 1988 PBA Shoals Classoc
- 1988 PBA Lexington All-Star Nine-ball
- 1988 PBA Augusta Classic
- 1988 PBA Greater Greenville Open
- 1987 PBA Bowling Green Open
- 1987 PBA Tara Open
- 1987 PBA Sands Regency Nine-ball
- 1987 PBA Charlotte Open
- 1987 PBA Fall Classic
- 1986 Bowling Green Open
- 1986 Citrus Open
- 1985 Ohio State Open
- 1985 Clyde Childress Open
- 1985 Charlotte Open
- 1985 Akron Open
- 1985 West Virginia Open
- 1984 Red's Nine-ball Open
- 1984 McDermott Masters
- 1984 Caesar's Palace Classic
- 1983 Caesar's Tahoe Nine-ball
[edit] References
- ^ "Earl, According to Earl", Billiards Digest magazine (online edition), April 2006; Note: The million-dollar prize seemed to be a very safe stipulation because runs that high are quite rare especially in formal tournament play; there have been no similar promotions since.
- ^ MosconicCup.com article (undated; cited January 21, 2006) about the cue-smashing incident.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Inaugural champion |
WPA Men's World Nine-ball Champion 1990-1991 |
Succeeded by Johnny Archer |
| Preceded by Mika Immonen |
WPA Men's World Nine-ball Champion 2002 |
Succeeded by Thorsten Hohmann |
| Preceded by Mike Sigel |
US Open Nine-ball Champion 1984 |
Succeeded by Jimmy Reid |
| Preceded by David Howard |
US Open Nine-ball Champion 1987 |
Succeeded by Mike le Bron |
| Preceded by Tommy Kennedy |
US Open Nine-ball Champion 1993 |
Succeeded by Efren Reyes |
| Preceded by Rodney Morris |
US Open Nine-ball Champion 1997 |
Succeeded by Buddy Hall |
| Preceded by Johnny Archer |
US Open Nine-ball Champion 2000 |
Succeeded by Corey Deuel |
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