Bill Staton
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Bill Staton (b. 1929, Concord, North Carolina, U.S.; d. February 28, 2006, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina), an American professional pool player and restauranteur, nicknamed "Weenie Beenie".
In the early 1960s, Staton founded the Weenie Beenie hot dog stand chain[1] in northern Virginia, offering franks and beans, which is how Staton got the nickname. Business went well, and in 1967, with the monies from the hot dog stands, Staton opened Jack and Jill's Cue Club in Arlington, Virginia, one of the top-action pool rooms in the 1960s and 1970s, with 32 tables, a pro shop, a snack bar, and a tournament area that seated 180 with tiered seating. Jack and Jill's was a favorite stop for pool players on the East Coast, open 24 hours a day.
[edit] Professional career
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Staton was regarded[who?] as one of the classiest gentlemen on the tournament pool circuit. He started playing pool at 22 years of age, and as his game developed, he used his pool earnings to support his business enterprises. When he became an accomplished pocket billiards player, Staton made several appearances on "Wide World of Sports" and "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson.
He performed trick shots in the Academy Award-winning film, The Color of Money, and is also credited with giving Rudolph "Minnesota Fats" Wanderone his nickname. He appeared on the television show I've Got a Secret, and his secret was he could sink all balls on the table with one shot.[2]
Staton was also well known[who?] for after-hours play, and enjoyed stakes games. Some of Staton's titles include the World Championship One-pocket Tournament and the Stardust Open One-pocket Championship in Las Vegas, and he won the Virginia State Pool Championship five times, as well as other tournaments.
An avid golfer, Staton played with Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, and so he moved to golfing haven Myrtle Beach after developing a love for the game.[3]
Staton was inducted into the One-pocket Hall of Fame in 2004.[4]
He died in Myrtle Beach, survived by his wife of 52 years, Norma Jean, and three children.[5]
In his memory, the first annual Weenie Beenie Memorial Nine-ball Tournament was held June 22-24, 2007, at Q-Masters Billiards in Norfolk, Virginia, and the winner of the nine-ball event was Filipino Dennis Orcollo.[6]
[edit] References
- ^ Weenie Beenie hot dog stand photo by Jack Dyer, Flickr.com. Retrieved May 22, 2007
- ^ "Our Back Pages: Stories, Scenes and Events from Arlington's Past", ArlingtonVA.us. Retrieved May 20, 2007
- ^ "Staton Obituary", Onepocket.org. Retrieved May 22, 2007
- ^ Bill Staton Hall of Fame, 2004, Onepocket.org. Retrieved May 22, 2007
- ^ "Staton Obituary", ArlingtonVirginiaUSA.com. Retrieved May 22, 2007
- ^ "Weenie Beenie Memorial Nine-ball Tournament", Billiards Digest. Retrieved May 22, 2007
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