John Schmidt
Picture of John Scmidt
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 Open 9-Ball Championship (2006)

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]

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.[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 200169 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

References

  1. 1 2 "John Schmidt Wins US Open". azbilliards.com. October 2006. Archived from the original on March 18, 2016. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
  2. 1 2 "John "Mr. 400" Schmidt Team Captain" Retrieved May 29, 2019
  3. "USA Mosconi Cup 2014 Team members named". azbilliards.com. October 21, 2014. Archived from the original on August 21, 2018. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
  4. 1 2 "John Schmidt | Predator Pro Player | Official Predator USA Site". predatorcues.com. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  5. "Local pool tournament attracts pro". vvdailypress.com. Archived from the original on November 28, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  6. "US Open 9-Ball Championship 2006". azbilliards.com. Archived from the original on September 12, 2017. Retrieved May 29, 2019. Rodolfo
  7. "Schmidt Tops 14.1 Field". azbilliards.com. Archived from the original on August 21, 2018. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
  8. 1 2 "After Much Effort, an 'Unbreakable' Record in Straight Pool Is Topped". The New York Times. May 28, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
  9. Panazzo, Mike. "For the record..." Billiards Digest. Archived from the original on September 16, 2020. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  10. "Billiards Digest - Pool's Top Source for News, Views, Tips & More".
  11. 1 2 "Pool pro chases record set in Springfield 65 years ago". springfieldnewssun. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
  12. "Billiard Buzz - Mr. 600". azbilliards.com. Vol. 4, no. June 2019. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
  13. "JAYSON SHAW ACHIEVES RECORD STRAIGHT POOL HIGH RUN". AZ Billiards. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  14. 'John Schmidt on Straight Pool' Retrieved May 29, 2019
  15. "Accu-Stats Make It Happen Event Continues at Sandcastle Billiards". azbilliards.com. August 12, 2012. Archived from the original on March 26, 2015. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
  16. 'TAR 28' Retrieved May 29, 2019
  17. "Schmidt Tops 14.1 Field". azbilliards.com. Archived from the original on August 21, 2018. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.