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Don "The Cincinnati Kid" Willis

Born May 1, 1909, Don Willis was arguably the greatest money player to ever play the game of pool. The former World Champion, Luther "Wimpy" Lassiter, a life long friend and fellow road warrior is quoted as saying:

Don Willis Figure"If I ever had to have someone else shoot pool for my life, win or lose, live or die, the man that I'd have shooting for me is Don Willis."

For 15 years, they kept a very low profile in their travels from coast-to-coast playing the best the towns and cities had to offer. That’s not hustling that’s asking for it, but they walked away winners most of the time.

Unfortunately, Willis didn't play in tournaments so he holds no titles to substantiate Lassiter’s claim. "I don’t play tournaments, never have", Willis told Steve Doerschuk, of the Canton Repository in 1979, "You don’t make money playing in tournaments. Lassiter made $10,600 playing tournaments one year", he explained. "That wouldn’t keep me in whiskey." His jowly face would shake in good humor at such a remark. But more often than not, his furtive eyes would reveal an uneasiness about having his picture taken to accompany the interview in which the words were spoken. "If somebody sees my picture, and knows who I am, and tells someone, then I don’t make any money, " he reasoned in 1977, before agreeing to pose at a pool table. "I never made any money having my picture taken." Nevertheless, even without his seeking acclaim, the legend of Don Willis grew to mythical proportions over the years, to the point where it is difficult to separate fact from fiction.

Our organization, the Greater Canton Amateur Billiards Association, was created to recognize the achievements of amateur pool players in Greater Canton, Ohio. We felt it was necessary to include Don Willis as a charter member, even though he wasn't an amateur by any means, because he is legendary here where he was born and raised and called home.

He learned to play pool at the age of 13 at a local YMCA. "I came up during the Depression," Willis once explained. "There wasn’t $4 in town, including in people’s pockets," He told Doerschuk, "About the only guys who seemed to have any money were pool players. I made pretty fair money for those days. I’d have to have been Clarence Darrow to have made the kind of money (as a lawyer) as I have playing pool." Like a lot of young people, I started out wanting to be a doctor or a lawyer", he said, "When I decided I didn't want to go to college, my mother cried for a month", Willis said, "But I could make too much uptown. If you can make $1,200 playin pool, you're not gonna go to school that afternoon."

Don Willis HorseshoesIn his youth, he was an outstanding softball and basketball player in addition to being a semi-pro football player. He was champion of three counties plus city champion in table tennis and he excelled at horseshoes. He reportedly beat a local ping pong champ using a pencil instead of a paddle at one event. "In grade school through his early 20s", says his daughter Nancy Stephens, "he was in YMCA sponsored tournaments and "champion" in several areas including marbles, checkers, chess, ping pong, pocket billiards and even 'running backwards' .... a special event one year". This might explain why as an adult, he reportedly scored big by outrunning a highly-touted Duquesne University track star .... they both ran backwards. He held city and state championships in ping pong and pool but decided to make a living with pool so he quit entering any contests to become and stay .... unknown. It's a blessing in a sense that he didn't hold any titles for that is the charm behind this man.

His first recorded achievement begins in the 1920s. He was champ of his Central High chess team. According to a 1924 Repository article, his chess team was in first place of the chess and checker club, and Willis was leading his class with 17 victories and no defeats. Willis had already been playing pool for a couple years at the YMCA but on August 1, 1926, he won his first championship - in something other than pool - The City Horseshoe Championship. He would have been about 16 years old at the time, throwing 60-percent ringers. He and his partner Reese, represented Waterworks, as they dominated the doubles event. Later that day, Willis came from behind to defeat Reese, 2-1, in the individuals event as well.

Willis was also a champion in table-tennis. He won the Canton City table-tennis championship on December 29, 1933. In their article, the Repository mentioned that he also won the Akron City championship several weeks previously. He won the first annual Stark County open table-tennis tournament according to a Repository Article, dated 1935. And, he beat Jimmy McClure of Indianapolis, national title holder, in two of three table tennis exhibitions according to a 1934 article. These are documented wins. He abandoned his mother's wish that he become a lawyer and began in the 1930s to make a living off his skill with a cue stick. "There were times I literally played for a loaf of bread," he said, "The six ball would be a quart of milk." He had three kids by the age of 22. "I didn't dare miss." says Willis, "You can't tell the gas company you over cut the eight ball."

Don Willis ArmyWillis' first documented pool talent was in his early adult years as a corporal in the U.S. Army. According to an article dated July 12, 1944, in "The Army Weekly", the Army reporters had discovered his talents after watching him in a table-tennis match. He had been the subject of considerable talk around base after trouncing Lennis Summers, Acad. Regt. the Post table-tennis champion. "If you think the guy can play table-tennis, wait until you see him shoot pool" a G.I. mentioned to the reporter. Deciding to take the hint, the reporter dropped into Company K dayroom one evening and watched Corporal Willis give a personal exhibition. Willis started by clicking off 83 consecutive balls. The reporter learned he had beaten Erwin Rudolph, Ralph Greenleaf and others who at various times held the world’s title. He then told the reporter that he had beaten Jimmy McClure and Sol Schiff, both former world table tennis champions. After displaying his talents, it was arranged for Willis to give exhibitions in both pool and table tennis in the various dayrooms of the 3rd infantry.

To the left is a picture from "The Army Weekly", dated October 27, 1944, of Corporal Willis practicing for an exhibition match. If you think this picture isn't old, there's another picture on the next page of this paper of Lt. General Mark W. Clark talking with Staff Sergeant Joe Louis after the heavyweight champion put on an exhibition as part of the Army's Salerno Day commemoration exercises in Italy.

 

Don Willis Army Joe Lewis
Don Willis Army

Here is still yet another picture from "The Army Weekly" of Corporal Willis playing Erwin Rudolph, which is undated, but is in this same time period. Willis is playing Erwin Rudolph, five time world champion, in a straight pool exhibition match. Rudolph won this match by a 125-87 score. In their other two matches at Lawson Field and Harmony church service clubs, Willis administered severe thumpings by a 125-73 score at Lawson Field, and in the rubber match, 125-49 at Harmony Church.

After his discharge and later in his career, Willis was often seen with such notables as his best friend and former pitcher Dean Chance, Early Wynn, Herb Score, Bo Belinski, Bob Lemon, Hall of Fame Quarterback Bob Waterfield and his wife the actress, Jane Russell. He played literally all over the world including one period, he represented the United States in exhibition matches in Saudi Arabia. With Willis pool was a necessity not a game it provided him and his family a fairly good living for many years. It was his life style, he once said that he would rather play anyone for a few bucks than a world champion for fun. He did hang around Canton long enough to be married to wife of 55 years, Mary, and produce six children. They are: