Cornbread Red, born Billy Burge (December 12 1931 – February 13 2004), was an American pool player.[1] Inducted into the One-pocket Hall of Fame in 2004 and Legends of Bank Pool in 2005, Cornbread Red is revered as one of the most talented and entertaining characters in the history of American pool.[2][3]
Red was born in Mayfield, Kentucky to a sharecropping family during the Great Depression, which is when he acquired a passion and talent for billiards. He learned the rules of the road from notorious hustlers, gamblers, con men, and world-class pool champions.[4]
Burge frequented The Rack, a popular pool room in Detroit, Michigan,[5] in an era when gambling was considered the norm in American pool. Though he never had a job, he devoted his life to pocket billiards. He was always looking for a game, and it didn’t matter what game because he could play all games well.[6]
Burge is an American legendary pool player. He is heralded as one of the greatest money players and proposition men of all time. When asked how much was the most money he ever played for, he said it was a race to 6 for US$100,000.[7]
He died at the age of 72 and will be remembered as one of the great professional billiard players. He was featured in Pool and Billiard Magazine, May 2000, in the "Legends of the Road" section.[8] Cornbread Red is survived by two children Sandy and Greg, two grandchildren, and two great grand-children.
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