John Schmidt (pool player)
John Schmidt (born April 12, 1973) is an American pool player, born in Keokuk, Iowa.[2] Nicknamed "Mr. 600", specialising in straight pool, Schmidt held the record for the highest run made (626), until Jayson Shaw broke that record with a high run of 669 in January 2022. Schmidt won the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships in 2006 defeating Rodolfo Luat in the final. He was also part of the American team at two Mosconi Cups in 2006 and 2014.[3]
John Schmidt at the 2004 US Open 9-Ball Championship, Chesapeake Conference Center in Chesapeake, Virginia | |
| Born | April 12, 1973[1] Keokuk, Iowa, US |
|---|---|
| Sport country | United States |
| Nickname | Mr. 600 |
| Professional | 1999 |
| Pool games | Straight Pool, 9-ball |
| Tournament wins | |
| Major | US Open 9-Ball Championship (2006) |
Career edit
John Schmidt was born April 12, 1973, in Keokuk, Iowa.[2] At a young age, he played as a golfer, winning tournaments at high school and college.[4] He began playing pool at age 19,[5] but didn't play his first professional tournament until he was aged 27 in 1999.[4] Schmidt won the 2006 US Open 9-Ball Championship Championship, with a 11–6 victory in the final over Rodolfo Luat.[1][6] Schmidt would later go on to win the Dragon 14.1 Tournament in 2012, winning 200–169 against Efren Reyes in the final.[7]
On May 27, 2019, at Easy Street Billiards in Monterey, California, Schmidt defeated the longstanding 14.1 pool record run set by Willie Mosconi in 1954 of 526 with a video-recorded run of 626.[8] Critics have argued that Mosconi's record was made in competition while Schmidt simply set up break shots for himself, and that his video was never released.[9][10] Schmidt had made a personal best run of 403 balls in 2007, but in 2018, he began a concerted, dedicated effort to defeat Mosconi's record, shooting six to eight hours a day, filming the sessions for verification. Beginning May 8, 2019, the record was his fourth attempt.[8]
Mike Panozzo, publisher of Billiards Digest, praised Schmidt's "focus and the perseverance to run 380, and then you miss and start over again."[11] Mosconi's record 526 happened under circumstances somewhat different from those that Schmidt faced. Mosconi, then 40, was competing in an exhibition match with a man named Earl Bruney in Springfield, Ohio.[12] Having defeating Bruney, he just kept shooting until he reached 526. Schmidt was purely going for the record, with no opponent, starting anew each time he fell short.[11] In similar fashion as Schmidt, the record would be later broken in 2022 by Jayson Shaw of Scotland, who ran 669.[13]
Filmed at the Derby City Classic, Schmidt ran 112 in straight pool on video by Accu-Stats, sharing many insights on the DVD version.[14][15] Filmed at TAR Studio on July 13–15, 2012, Schmidt competed in an all-around challenge match against Corey Deuel in the disciplines of eight-ball, one-pocket, and ten-ball.[16]
Titles and achievements edit
- 2003 Legends of Straight Pool Championship
- 2003 Emerald Coast 9 Ball Classic
- 2003 Sands Regency 9-Ball Open
- 2004 Seminole Florida Pro Tour
- 2006 U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship
- 2007 Viking Cues Southern Classic 10-Ball Open
- 2009 Derby City Classic One Pocket
- 2009 Super Billiards Expo Players Championship
- 2012 Maryland 14.1 Championship
- 2012 Dragon 14.1 Tournament[17]
- 2019 14.1 Record High Run. 626 Consecutive Balls
References edit
- ^ a b "John Schmidt Wins US Open". azbilliards.com. October 2006. from the original on March 18, 2016. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
- ^ a b "John "Mr. 400" Schmidt Team Captain" Retrieved May 29, 2019
- ^ "USA Mosconi Cup 2014 Team members named". azbilliards.com. October 21, 2014. from the original on August 21, 2018. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
- ^ a b "John Schmidt | Predator Pro Player | Official Predator USA Site". predatorcues.com. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
- ^ . vvdailypress.com. Archived from the original on November 28, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
- ^ "US Open 9-Ball Championship 2006". azbilliards.com. from the original on September 12, 2017. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
Rodolfo
- ^ "Schmidt Tops 14.1 Field". azbilliards.com. from the original on August 21, 2018. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
- ^ a b "After Much Effort, an 'Unbreakable' Record in Straight Pool Is Topped". The New York Times. May 28, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
- ^ Panazzo, Mike. "For the record..." Billiards Digest. from the original on September 16, 2020. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
- ^ "Billiards Digest - Pool's Top Source for News, Views, Tips & More".
- ^ a b "Pool pro chases record set in Springfield 65 years ago". springfieldnewssun. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
- ^ "Billiard Buzz - Mr. 600". azbilliards.com. Vol. 4, no. June 2019. Retrieved June 14, 2019.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "JAYSON SHAW ACHIEVES RECORD STRAIGHT POOL HIGH RUN". AZ Billiards. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
- ^ 'John Schmidt on Straight Pool' Retrieved May 29, 2019
- ^ "Accu-Stats Make It Happen Event Continues at Sandcastle Billiards". azbilliards.com. August 12, 2012. from the original on March 26, 2015. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
- ^ 'TAR 28' Retrieved May 29, 2019
- ^ "Schmidt Tops 14.1 Field". azbilliards.com. from the original on August 21, 2018. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
External links edit
- John Schmidt at azbilliards.com