John Schmidt (pool player)

John Schmidt (born April 12, 1973) is an American pool player, born in Keokuk, Iowa.[2] Specialising in straight pool, Schmidt holds the record for the highest run ever made, scoring 626 in 2019. The run was made after months of attempts to beat the 65 year record held by Willie Mosconi. Schmidt also won the world straight pool championship defeating Efren Reyes in the final in 2012.[3] In the game of nine-ball, 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.[4]

John Schmidt
John Schmidt at the 2004 US Open 9-Ball Championship, Chesapeake Conference Center in Chesapeake, Virginia
Born (1973-04-12) April 12, 1973[1]
Keokuk, Iowa, US
Sport country United States
NicknameMr. 600
Professional1999
Pool gamesStraight Pool, 9-ball
Tournament wins
MajorUS 9-Ball Champion (2006)
World ChampionStraight Pool (2012)
Ranking info

Career

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.[5] He began playing pool at age 19,[6] but didn't play his first professional tournament until he was aged 29 in 2002.[5] Schmidt won the 2006 US Open 9-Ball Championship Championship, with a 11–6 victory in the final over Rodolfo Luat.[1][7] Schmidt would later become world champion in 2012 at the World Tournament straight pool championship winning 200–169 against Efren Reyes in the final.[3]

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] 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."[10] 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.[11] 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.[10] Mosconi also played on a smaller table, 4 feet by 8 feet. Schmidt's run came on a larger 4½-by-9-foot modern professional table.[8][12]

Filmed at the Derby City Classic, Schmidt ran 112 in straight pool on video by Accu-Stats, sharing many insights on the DVD version.[13][14] 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.[15]

Titles and achievements

References
  1. "John Schmidt Wins US Open". azbilliards.com. Archived from the original on March 18, 2016. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
  2. "John "Mr. 400" Schmidt Team Captain" Retrieved May 29, 2019
  3. "Schmidt Tops 14.1 Field". azbilliards.com. Archived from the original on August 21, 2018. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
  4. "USA Mosconi Cup 2014 Team members named". azbilliards.com. Archived from the original on August 21, 2018. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
  5. "John Schmidt | Predator Pro Player | Official Predator USA Site". predatorcues.com. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  6. "Local pool tournament attracts pro". vvdailypress.com.
  7. "US Open 9-Ball Championship 2006". azbilliards.com. Archived from the original on September 12, 2017. Retrieved May 29, 2019. Rodolfo
  8. "After Much Effort, an 'Unbreakable' Record in Straight Pool Is Topped". nytimes.com. May 28, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
  9. https://www.billiardsdigest.com/new_current_issue/aug_19/bb_index.php
  10. "Pool pro chases record set in Springfield 65 years ago". springfieldnewssun. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
  11. "Billiard Buzz - Mr. 600". azbilliards.com. Vol. 4 no. June 2019. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
  12. "Surpassing a billiards' milestone". Monterey Herald. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
  13. 'John Schmidt on Straight Pool' Retrieved May 29, 2019
  14. "Accu-Stats Make It Happen Event Continues at Sandcastle Billiards". azbilliards.com. Archived from the original on March 26, 2015. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
  15. 'TAR 28' Retrieved May 29, 2019
  16. "Schmidt Tops 14.1 Field". azbilliards.com. Archived from the original on August 21, 2018. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
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