Pool's Biggest Showoff
Steve Mizerak's place in billiard history was already assured by the time he taped the cheeky Lite Beer ad that brought pool's flair to the masses.
By Robert Byrne
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| Millions knew Mizerak from his charismatic turn in a 1976 Lite Beer TV ad. |
Nobody who saw him play will ever forget him. He was a big man, a very big man, who carried his weight with uncommon grace and projected an aura of serenity even in the heat of competition. When Steve Mizerak was just a 20-year-old sophomore in college in 1965, he qualified for the World's Pocket Billiard Championship; he didn't win, but he shocked the pool world by pinning defeats on Irving Crane, Luther Lassiter, Joe Balsis, and Frank McGown.
Opera lover and fellow competitor Onofrio Lauri said of the young man's debut, "It was the most magnificent entrance since the Triumphal March from 'Aida.'" New York room owner Bob McGirr called Mizerak the brightest young prospect since Ralph Greenleaf (who died in 1950 at the age of 51). George Jansco, the impresario of the famed Johnston City hustler jamborees, predicted, "The kid is a future star, the greatest young prospect I've seen in years, and I'm all over the country. In a few years, this kid will win the world title and everybody will be talking about Steve Mizerak the way they talked about Mosconi and Greenleaf, and the kid will be the man to beat year after year."
They were all correct. The game lost a bona fide legend when Steve Mizerak passed away on Monday, May 29, in Palm Beach County, Fla., from complications following gall bladder surgery.
Mizerak's gifts were obvious when he first picked up a cue at age 4 in Perth Amboy, N.J., and unlike many other child prodigies, he lived up to his early promise. He ran 50 at age 11 and 100 two years later.
When he was 26, he pulled off the amazing feat of winning the first of four consecutive U.S. Opens (1970-1973), establishing him as one of the greatest straight-pool players of all time. Ten years later, at age 36, he became the youngest player ever to be inducted into the Billiard Congress of America's Hall of Fame. At the time, he counted 35 major titles to his name.
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Since 1978, Billiards Digest magazine has been the pool world’s best source for news, tournament coverage, player profiles, bold editorials, and advice on how to play pool. Our instructors include superstars Nick Varner and Jeanette Lee. Every issue features the pool accessories and equipment you love — pool cues, pool tables, instruction aids and more. Columnists Mike Shamos and R.A. Dyer examine legends like Willie Mosconi and Minnesota Fats, and dig deep into the histories of pool games like 8-ball, 9-ball and straight pool.
  
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