Bill Staton an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 professional pool

Pocket billiards

Pool, also more formally known as pocket billiards or pool billiards , is the family of cue sports and games played on a pool table having six receptacles called pockets along the , into which balls are deposited as the main goal of play. Popular versions include eight-ball and nine-ball...

 player and restaurant

Restaurant

A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...

eur, nicknamed "Weenie Beenie".

In the early 1960s, Staton founded the Weenie Beenie

Weenie Beenie

Weenie Beenie was a chain of fast food restaurants, which is now reduced to one location. Weenie Beenie predominantly sells half-smokes, hot dogs, pulled pork sandwiches, and soft drinks....

 hot dog stand chain in northern Virginia

Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

, offering franks and beans, which is how Staton got the nickname. Business went well, and in 1967, with the monies from the hot dog stands, Staton opened Jack and Jill's Cue Club in Arlington, Virginia, one of the top- pool rooms

Pool hall

A billiard/billiards, pool or snooker hall is a place where people get together for playing cue sports such as pool, snooker or carom billiards...

 in the 1960s and 1970s, with 32 tables, a pro shop, a snack bar, and a tournament area that seated 180 with tiered seating. Jack and Jill's was a favorite stop for pool players on the East Coast, open 24 hours a day.

Professional career

Staton was regarded as one of the classiest gentlemen on the tournament pool circuit. He started playing pool at 22 years of age, and as his game developed, he used his pool earnings to support his business enterprises. When he became an accomplished pocket billiards player, Staton made several appearances on "Wide World of Sports" and "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson

Johnny Carson

John William "Johnny" Carson was an American television host and comedian, known as host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for 30 years . Carson received six Emmy Awards including the Governor Award and a 1985 Peabody Award; he was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1987...

.

He performed trick shot

Trick shot

A trick shot is a shot played on a billiards table , which seems unlikely, impossible, or requires significant skill...

s in the Academy Award-winning film, The Color of Money

The Color of Money

The Color of Money is a 1986 film directed by Martin Scorsese from a screenplay by Richard Price, based on the 1984 novel of the same name by Walter Tevis....

, and is also credited with giving Rudolph "Minnesota Fats" Wanderone his nickname. He appeared on the television show I've Got a Secret

I've Got a Secret

I've Got a Secret is a panel game show produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman for CBS television. Created by comedy writers Allan Sherman and Howard Merrill, it was a derivative of Goodson-Todman's own panel show What's My Line?...

, and his secret was he could sink all balls on the table with one shot.

Staton was also well known for after-hours play, and enjoyed stakes games. Some of Staton's titles include the World Championship One-pocket Tournament and the Stardust Open One-pocket Championship in Las Vegas, and he won the Virginia State Pool Championship five times, as well as other tournaments.

An avid golfer, Staton played with Arnold Palmer

Arnold Palmer

Arnold Daniel Palmer is an American professional golfer, who is generally regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of men's professional golf. He has won numerous events on both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour, dating back to 1955...

 and Jack Nicklaus

Jack Nicklaus

Jack William Nicklaus , nicknamed "The Golden Bear", is an American professional golfer. He won 18 career major championships on the PGA Tour over a span of 25 years and is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional golfers of all time. In addition to his 18 Majors, he was runner-up a...

, and so he moved to golfing haven Myrtle Beach after developing a love for the game.

Staton was inducted into the One-pocket Hall of Fame in 2004.

He died in Myrtle Beach, survived by his wife of 52 years, Norma Jean, and three children.

In his memory, the first annual Weenie Beenie Memorial Nine-ball Tournament was held June 22–24, 2007, at Q-Masters Billiards in Norfolk, Virginia

Norfolk, Virginia

Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....

, and the winner of the nine-ball event was Filipino Dennis Orcollo.