William Joseph Mosconi

Local

Considered one to be on the of the best billiards players in the history of the game

Regarded as the gameβ€™s most popular ambassador who helped popularize the game

Developed and frequently used numerous trick shots

Child prodigy competing in an exhibition match with the reigning champion at the age of 6

Juvenile straight pool champion at the age of eleven

Embarked on a cross country exhibition tour with his idol and then world champion Ralph Greenleaf

Greenleaf would end the exhibition with 57 wins to the 20 year old Mosconiβ€™s 50

Won the U.S. Pool Championships 18 times between 1941 and 1956

15-time winner of the BCA World Championships from 1941 to 1957

Set the world record by running 526 consecutive balls without a miss during a straight pool exhibition (3/19/54)

Served as technical advisor for the movie The Hustler (1961)

The Mosconi Cup, an annual pool competition between American and European player, is named in his honor

Inducted into the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame (1968)