Steve Mizerak facts for kids
| Born | 12 October 1944 Perth Amboy, New Jersey |
|---|---|
| Died | 29 May 2006 (aged 61) |
| Sport country |  United States |
| Nickname | "The Miz" |
| Professional | 1964 |
| Best finish | Quarter finals 1990 WPA World Nine-ball Championship |
| Tournament wins | |
| Other titles | 80 |
| World Champion | Straight Pool (1982, 1983) |
| Ranking info | |
Stephen Mizerak Jr. (born October 12, 1944 – died May 29, 2006), known to many as Steve Mizerak, was an amazing American pool player. He was born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. Many people think Mizerak was one of the best straight pool players ever. He was especially good in the 1970s, winning over 70 tournaments! Steve won the World Straight Pool Championship twice. He also set a record by winning the BCA U.S. Open Straight Pool Championship four times in a row. His nickname was "The Miz", and he once sank 421 balls in a row without missing!
Contents
Steve Mizerak's Amazing Pool Career
Early Life and Training
Steve Mizerak was left-handed. He started playing pool when he was very young, learning from his dad. His father was a New Jersey State Champion for many years. Steve's dad even opened a pool hall in Metuchen. Steve first played billiards there when he was just 4 years old.
By age 5, Steve was practicing for hours every day. He started doing pool shows for people at age 6. When he was 11, he could already sink 50 balls in straight pool. By age 13, he could sink 100! At 15, he won the Perth Amboy City Championship. The next year, they wouldn't let him enter because he was too good! Many people thought Steve would have a brilliant future, and they even compared him to the famous player Willie Mosconi.
Becoming a Professional Player
In 1965, when Steve was 20, he joined the World Straight Pool Championship. He surprised everyone by beating top players like Irving Crane and Luther Lassiter. At this point, Steve didn't think he could make a living just playing pool. So, he went to Athens College in Athens, Alabama.
After some time at Saint Ambrose University, Steve graduated from Athens College in 1967. He earned a degree in education, history, and psychology. Then, he became a history and geography teacher at a high school in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. He taught there for 13 years.
Fame and Popularity
Steve Mizerak became famous outside of the pool world in 1978. He appeared in a funny TV commercial. In the ad, he made three very tricky pool shots. These shots took over 100 tries to get right! After making them, he said you can "really work up a thirst, even when you're just showing off."
Because of how famous he became from this commercial, Steve decided to leave his teaching job in 1980. He continued to do billiards shows and demonstrations. He made about a dozen more commercials over the next ten years. These ads really helped make pool more popular, and Steve became well-known across the country. He was often invited to do exhibitions.
Dominance in the 1970s and 80s
Even with his busy schedule, Steve Mizerak was one of the best players in the world. He won the BCA U.S. Open Straight Pool Championship four years in a row. This is a record that still stands today!
In 1979, Steve showed how good he was again by winning the U.S. Open 9-ball Championship. He beat Jim Rempe in the final match and didn't lose a single game in the whole tournament. In the 1970s, Steve won 40 professional tournaments. This was more than any other player that decade! Because of his amazing achievements, Steve was added to the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame in 1980. He was the youngest player ever to receive this honor at the time.
In the 1980s, Steve was still very active in advertising. This meant he had less time to focus on playing in tournaments. In 1986, he even had a small role in the movie The Color of Money. Steve won the World Straight Pool Championship two years in a row, in 1982 and 1983. He also won many Nine-ball tournaments throughout the 1980s. Later, in the 1990s, some health challenges made it harder for him to win big titles. However, he still played in tournaments and won smaller events. In 1989, he reached a major final, his fifth time in the U.S. Open Straight Pool Championship final, but he lost to German champion Oliver Ortmann.
In the mid-1990s, Steve moved to Florida. There, he started a special tour for professional billiards players over 50 years old in 1996. He also owned a company in Florida that sold billiards equipment. He ran a billiards hall in Lake Park, Florida, and wrote books about how to play pool. One of his books was called "Just Showin' Off."
Trying Out Snooker
In 1978, Steve Mizerak became the first American-born player to compete in a professional Snooker event. He played in the 1978 Canadian Open. Steve won his first match, even making a high break of 81 points. However, he later lost to Tony Knowles.
Steve also played in a series of special snooker and pool challenge matches from 1974 to 1990. These matches were sometimes shown on TV. He played against some of the world's best snooker players, including John Spencer, Steve Davis, Jimmy White, Joe Johnson, and Stephen Hendry. These competitions involved playing both snooker and different types of pool games. Steve had a slight advantage because his opponents weren't as familiar with pool, and he knew a bit about snooker.
In 1974, Steve played against John Spencer in both Snooker and Straight Pool. Steve won all three games of straight pool. Surprisingly, he also won two out of three snooker games, winning the whole competition!
In 1987, Steve competed against Steve Davis. This match included Snooker, Straight Pool, and Nine-Ball. Even though Steve lost badly to Davis in snooker, he won both the straight pool and nine-ball games. This made him the overall winner, and he earned $50,000 for his victory. This was the largest prize money a pool player had won at that time! In the next few years, he played against Jimmy White in 1988, Joe Johnson in 1989, and Stephen Hendry in 1990. Steve lost to all three opponents in snooker. But he won both the straight pool and Eight-Ball games, meaning he remained undefeated in the overall challenge title.
Steve Mizerak became a professional snooker player in 1988. He competed in the World Snooker Championship in 1988 and 1989. However, he didn't get past the first round of qualifying in either year. He lost to lower-ranked snooker professionals. In 1988, he lost to Anthony Harris. The next year, he was beaten by Mark Rowling. After that, he stopped trying to become a snooker champion.
Later Years and Legacy
Steve Mizerak owned and ran pool halls in the West Palm Beach and Lake Park, Florida areas during the 1990s and 2000s. He started the Senior Tour in 1996 for players over 50. This tour held about 5 or 6 tournaments each year. It offered prize money of $25,000 to $50,000. The main place for the tour was a billiards hall he opened in Lake Park called Steve Mizerak's Billiards.
Steve faced physical challenges later in his life. In 2001, at age 56, he had a stroke. This made it impossible for him to play pool competitively, so he retired in 2001.
In 1999, Billiards Digest magazine ranked him number 6 among the "50 Greatest Players of the Century." He was also ranked as the 2nd "Greatest Living Player of the Century."
Death
Steve Mizerak passed away on May 29, 2006, at the age of 61. He died due to health complications after a surgery. He was survived by his wife Karen, two sons, and two grandchildren.
Major Wins and Achievements
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On Screen Appearances
- 1978 Miller Lite Beer Commercial
- 1980 The Baltimore Bullet
- 1984 Late Night with David Letterman
- 1986 The Color of Money
- 1989 Pool The Masters Way
- 1994 Pocket Billiards Fundamentals To Fantasticks
- 2000 The Art of Billiards
