Wade Crane
Encyclopedia
Wade Arlyn Crane was an American
professional pool
player, nicknamed "Boom-Boom" because of the cannonball sound that emanated from his powerful break. Crane also played under the alias of "Billy Johnson."
A former World 8-Ball and 9-Ball champion, Crane was a dominant player in the 1980s. He was voted by his peers to have the best 9-ball break in history.
, a small town with a population of 700 located in the western-most part of North Carolina
in the Smokey Mountains. He was the youngest of four children. His father was killed in an automobile accident shortly after he was born, which necessitated him being raised by his grandmother.
Coming from a modest background, he sought employment at the age of 12 and landed a job in a small five-table pool room named Cooper's. It was here where he initially developed his passion for playing pool. He did odd jobs, keeping the pool room clean, sweeping floors, and even had a shoe shine stand. The owner would direct the customers to play pool with young Wade if the pool room was empty. Crane was a self-taught pool player. He soon began to enjoy the competitive spirit. In high school, he was a fullback on the football team, the Robbinsville squad, and made it to the state playoffs two years straight.
After high school, Crane decided to leave Robbinsville and live with his older brother in Chicago
, where he got a job at Brach's Confections, a candy company. He worked there for three years, earning $150 a week, and initially had little interest in playing pool. Sometimes, though, his older brother, Bill, would call on Wade to meet him at the local pool hall on Cicero Avenue. Bill would make bad games and find himself overmatched. He would then call on his little brother, Wade, to bail him by having him play the same pool players that he lost to. Thereafter, Bill began to match up Wade with the local players. At this time, both Bill and Wade became active in Chicago
's pool scene. Soon Wade was competing at Bensinger's pool room in Chicago
against tough opponents in the area, like Mexican Johnny, John Abruzzo, and George Walker.
In 1965, Crane was making more money playing pool than working at Brach's Confections, so he decided to leave the Windy City and move to Atlanta, Georgia
. It was at this time that he assumed the alias of "Billy Johnson," a moniker he would hang onto for 20 more years. He changed his name because he wanted to engage in money matches down South and feared some might recognize the name "Wade Crane" from his earlier days of gambling throughout that region.
"While me and a friend were driving along the interstate to this pool room, we passed a Howard Johnson's," said Crane. He decided to just add on "Johnson" to "Bill" and came up with the road name of "Billy Johnson." It was a good name for him because he had been using his brother's fake ID to get into the Chicago taverns and pool rooms, so he was used to answering to "Bill."
In the early '70s, Crane returned to North Carolina
and opened his own pool room in Asheville, which was an attraction for many of the top players in the country, i.e., Buddy Hall
, Jim Rempe
, Mike Sigel
, and Allen Hopkins. Now the 25-year-old Crane was ranked second to Luther Lassiter
, who was the 9-Ball Champion of the South.
The money matches began to dwindle, so he decided to move to Knoxville, Tennessee
, for a change. It is here where he met his third wife, Linda, who was a waitress at a steak and seafood restaurant. They dated for 18 months before he proposed. After they were married, the couple moved back to Crane's hometown of Robbinsville, where he operated a small video arcade and quit playing pool. It was three and a half years before his wife saw him shoot a game of pool.
In 1983, pool became attractive to Crane once more, due to the large money payouts in pocket billiard competitions. Crane returned to the pool scene, but this time, he would be shooting pool in a new environment, competing in short race-type matches on pristine equipment at tournament venues instead of gambling long ahead sets on inferior equipment in various pool rooms around the country.
at the Resorts International Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey
, in the Last Call for 9-Ball tournament, a feat that to this day has never been achieved by any other competitor in a pool tournament during a finals match. During one match, he ran seven consecutive racks against Hall. He was the top money winner of major professional pool tournaments in 1985.
Crane went undefeated at the 1985 Red's Open 9-Ball Championship in Houston, Texas
, until he met Efren Reyes
in the finals, who was at this time shooting pool under an alias of "Cesar Morales." The irony, however, was that Crane happened to be the only other competitor in the 108-player event that also used an alias, "Billy Johnson," when he took second-place honors. The final score was 13 to 9. This was the first tournament that a then-unknown Efren Reyes
, a pool champion from the Republic of the Philippines, competed in on American soil.
Pool & Billiards Magazine named Wade Crane in 1985 as the Pool & Billiard Magazine's All Star Player of the Year.
At the 1987 Steve Gumphreys Memorial 9-Ball Open tournament held in Jackson, Mississippi
, Crane defeated Earl Strickland
twice in the finals of a double-elimination format event to win the title.
Crane was heralded as a legend by pool industry members. He was deemed as a courteous pool competitor, with a sense of humor that was enjoyed by his peers, according to Nick Varner
and Johnny Archer
, both Billiard Congress of America
Hall of Fame Inductees.
As owner of Crane's Billiard Academy, he gave instructions to beginners, amateur players, as well as male and female professional pool competitors.
For 15 years, he was an instructional journalist for Pool & Billiards Magazine, providing guidance on shot selection and other pool-related strategies in his monthly article entitled "Crane's Winning Way."
A recognition ceremony to commemorate Crane's legacy of pool in action will be held at the 7th Annual One-Pocket Hall of Fame dinner on January 25, 2011, at the 2011 Derby City Classic
. Wade Crane will be inducted into the One-Pocket Hall of Fame posthumously with the Lifetime Pool in Action Award for his tremendous all-around talent.
At 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, December 26, 2010, Crane was in an automobile accident in Knoxville, Tennessee
, when his 2000 Volkswagen
crossed three lanes of traffic and struck a retaining wall. No other vehicle was involved in the accident. It is believed that Crane suffered from an undiagnosed medical condition before the crash. He was pronounced dead at the University of Tennessee Hospital.
2006 Killer One Pocket by Cliff Joyner with Special Guest Wade Crane - 3 Volume DVD Set
Accu-Stats Video Productions filmed several live matches of Wade Crane in pocket billiards competitions:
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, nicknamed "Boom-Boom" because of the cannonball sound that emanated from his powerful break. Crane also played under the alias of "Billy Johnson."
A former World 8-Ball and 9-Ball champion, Crane was a dominant player in the 1980s. He was voted by his peers to have the best 9-ball break in history.
Early Days
Wade Arlyn Crane grew up in RobbinsvilleRobbinsville, North Carolina
Robbinsville is a town in Graham County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 747 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Graham County. Robbinsville High School is the only high school in Graham County...
, a small town with a population of 700 located in the western-most part of North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
in the Smokey Mountains. He was the youngest of four children. His father was killed in an automobile accident shortly after he was born, which necessitated him being raised by his grandmother.
Coming from a modest background, he sought employment at the age of 12 and landed a job in a small five-table pool room named Cooper's. It was here where he initially developed his passion for playing pool. He did odd jobs, keeping the pool room clean, sweeping floors, and even had a shoe shine stand. The owner would direct the customers to play pool with young Wade if the pool room was empty. Crane was a self-taught pool player. He soon began to enjoy the competitive spirit. In high school, he was a fullback on the football team, the Robbinsville squad, and made it to the state playoffs two years straight.
After high school, Crane decided to leave Robbinsville and live with his older brother in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, where he got a job at Brach's Confections, a candy company. He worked there for three years, earning $150 a week, and initially had little interest in playing pool. Sometimes, though, his older brother, Bill, would call on Wade to meet him at the local pool hall on Cicero Avenue. Bill would make bad games and find himself overmatched. He would then call on his little brother, Wade, to bail him by having him play the same pool players that he lost to. Thereafter, Bill began to match up Wade with the local players. At this time, both Bill and Wade became active in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
's pool scene. Soon Wade was competing at Bensinger's pool room in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
against tough opponents in the area, like Mexican Johnny, John Abruzzo, and George Walker.
In 1965, Crane was making more money playing pool than working at Brach's Confections, so he decided to leave the Windy City and move to Atlanta, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. It was at this time that he assumed the alias of "Billy Johnson," a moniker he would hang onto for 20 more years. He changed his name because he wanted to engage in money matches down South and feared some might recognize the name "Wade Crane" from his earlier days of gambling throughout that region.
"While me and a friend were driving along the interstate to this pool room, we passed a Howard Johnson's," said Crane. He decided to just add on "Johnson" to "Bill" and came up with the road name of "Billy Johnson." It was a good name for him because he had been using his brother's fake ID to get into the Chicago taverns and pool rooms, so he was used to answering to "Bill."
In the early '70s, Crane returned to North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
and opened his own pool room in Asheville, which was an attraction for many of the top players in the country, i.e., Buddy Hall
Buddy Hall
Cecil P. "Buddy" Hall has been an American professional pool player for three decades. The International Pool Tour heralds Hall as a "living pool legend." He is nicknamed "The Rifleman" for his accuracy...
, Jim Rempe
Jim Rempe
James Rempe is an American professional pocket billiards player, and was inducted into the Billiard Congress of America's Hall of Fame in 2002.-Career:...
, Mike Sigel
Mike Sigel
Mike Sigel is an American professional pool player.Sigel has won over 102 major pool tournaments, including 3 US Open Nine-ball Championship tournaments and 5 world pocket billiard championship titles...
, and Allen Hopkins. Now the 25-year-old Crane was ranked second to Luther Lassiter
Luther Lassiter
Luther Lassiter , born Luther Clement Lassiter, Jr. and nicknamed Wimpy, was a world-renowned American pool player from Elizabeth City, North Carolina...
, who was the 9-Ball Champion of the South.
The money matches began to dwindle, so he decided to move to Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
, for a change. It is here where he met his third wife, Linda, who was a waitress at a steak and seafood restaurant. They dated for 18 months before he proposed. After they were married, the couple moved back to Crane's hometown of Robbinsville, where he operated a small video arcade and quit playing pool. It was three and a half years before his wife saw him shoot a game of pool.
In 1983, pool became attractive to Crane once more, due to the large money payouts in pocket billiard competitions. Crane returned to the pool scene, but this time, he would be shooting pool in a new environment, competing in short race-type matches on pristine equipment at tournament venues instead of gambling long ahead sets on inferior equipment in various pool rooms around the country.
Professional Career
At the height of Crane's game in June 1985, he scored a perfect Accu-Stats score in the finals against Buddy HallBuddy Hall
Cecil P. "Buddy" Hall has been an American professional pool player for three decades. The International Pool Tour heralds Hall as a "living pool legend." He is nicknamed "The Rifleman" for his accuracy...
at the Resorts International Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, in the Last Call for 9-Ball tournament, a feat that to this day has never been achieved by any other competitor in a pool tournament during a finals match. During one match, he ran seven consecutive racks against Hall. He was the top money winner of major professional pool tournaments in 1985.
Crane went undefeated at the 1985 Red's Open 9-Ball Championship in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, until he met Efren Reyes
Efren Reyes
Efren Manalang Reyes is a Filipino professional pool player and a two-time world champion. Reyes is considered by many to be the greatest all-around pool player in the history of the game. He is affectionately nicknamed "Bata" and "the Magician".-Early life:Reyes was born in Pampanga in 1954...
in the finals, who was at this time shooting pool under an alias of "Cesar Morales." The irony, however, was that Crane happened to be the only other competitor in the 108-player event that also used an alias, "Billy Johnson," when he took second-place honors. The final score was 13 to 9. This was the first tournament that a then-unknown Efren Reyes
Efren Reyes
Efren Manalang Reyes is a Filipino professional pool player and a two-time world champion. Reyes is considered by many to be the greatest all-around pool player in the history of the game. He is affectionately nicknamed "Bata" and "the Magician".-Early life:Reyes was born in Pampanga in 1954...
, a pool champion from the Republic of the Philippines, competed in on American soil.
Pool & Billiards Magazine named Wade Crane in 1985 as the Pool & Billiard Magazine's All Star Player of the Year.
At the 1987 Steve Gumphreys Memorial 9-Ball Open tournament held in Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
, Crane defeated Earl Strickland
Earl Strickland
Earl "The Pearl" Strickland is an American professional pool player and was inducted into the Billiard Congress of America's Hall of Fame in 2006...
twice in the finals of a double-elimination format event to win the title.
Crane was heralded as a legend by pool industry members. He was deemed as a courteous pool competitor, with a sense of humor that was enjoyed by his peers, according to Nick Varner
Nick Varner
Nick Varner is an American pool player and was inducted into the Billiard Congress of America in 1992.-Career:...
and Johnny Archer
Johnny Archer
Johnny Archer is an American professional pool player. He is nicknamed "the Scorpion" ....
, both Billiard Congress of America
Billiard Congress of America
Billiard Congress of America is a governing body for cue sports in North America , the regional member organization of the World Pool-Billiard Association...
Hall of Fame Inductees.
As owner of Crane's Billiard Academy, he gave instructions to beginners, amateur players, as well as male and female professional pool competitors.
For 15 years, he was an instructional journalist for Pool & Billiards Magazine, providing guidance on shot selection and other pool-related strategies in his monthly article entitled "Crane's Winning Way."
A recognition ceremony to commemorate Crane's legacy of pool in action will be held at the 7th Annual One-Pocket Hall of Fame dinner on January 25, 2011, at the 2011 Derby City Classic
Derby City Classic
The Derby City Classic is an annual pocket billiard convention held every January in Louisville, Kentucky. It is eight days long and offers various disciplines of pocket billiard competitions for pool players of all caliber. It is often referred to as the DCC.hui- History :The annual convention...
. Wade Crane will be inducted into the One-Pocket Hall of Fame posthumously with the Lifetime Pool in Action Award for his tremendous all-around talent.
At 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, December 26, 2010, Crane was in an automobile accident in Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
, when his 2000 Volkswagen
Volkswagen
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...
crossed three lanes of traffic and struck a retaining wall. No other vehicle was involved in the accident. It is believed that Crane suffered from an undiagnosed medical condition before the crash. He was pronounced dead at the University of Tennessee Hospital.
Filmography
Wade Crane produced a pool instructional videotape entitled "Learn to Play the Winning Way."2006 Killer One Pocket by Cliff Joyner with Special Guest Wade Crane - 3 Volume DVD Set
Accu-Stats Video Productions filmed several live matches of Wade Crane in pocket billiards competitions:
- 1994 Roanoke One-Pocket Championship, Grady MathewsGrady MathewsGrady Mathews , also known as "The Professor", is an American pool player and was the first inductee into the One-Pocket Hall of Fame in 2004....
vs. Wade Crane - 1995 Roanoke One-Pocket Championship, Buddy HallBuddy HallCecil P. "Buddy" Hall has been an American professional pool player for three decades. The International Pool Tour heralds Hall as a "living pool legend." He is nicknamed "The Rifleman" for his accuracy...
vs. Wade Crane - 1996 Taco Bell Senior 9-Ball Championship in Greenfield, WisconsinGreenfield, WisconsinGreenfield is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 35,476 at the 2000 census.-History:Greenfield was originally created as the Town of Kinnickinnic around 1839. On Feb. 19, 1841, the name of the town was changed to Greenfield, taking its name from the name of the...
, Wade Crane vs. Toby Sweet - 1999 Derby City ClassicDerby City ClassicThe Derby City Classic is an annual pocket billiard convention held every January in Louisville, Kentucky. It is eight days long and offers various disciplines of pocket billiard competitions for pool players of all caliber. It is often referred to as the DCC.hui- History :The annual convention...
Short Rack Banks Tournament, Tony Coleman vs. Wade Crane - 1999 Derby City ClassicDerby City ClassicThe Derby City Classic is an annual pocket billiard convention held every January in Louisville, Kentucky. It is eight days long and offers various disciplines of pocket billiard competitions for pool players of all caliber. It is often referred to as the DCC.hui- History :The annual convention...
One Pocket Tournament, Danny DiLibertoDanny DiLibertoDanny DiLiberto is an American professional pool player, nicknamed "Buffalo Dan".A veteran player from the Johnston City era, a teacher, an author, and today working as a commentator for Accu-Stats, DiLiberto is an active member of the pocket billiards community...
vs. Wade Crane - 2001 Derby City ClassicDerby City ClassicThe Derby City Classic is an annual pocket billiard convention held every January in Louisville, Kentucky. It is eight days long and offers various disciplines of pocket billiard competitions for pool players of all caliber. It is often referred to as the DCC.hui- History :The annual convention...
III: One Pocket, Johnny ArcherJohnny ArcherJohnny Archer is an American professional pool player. He is nicknamed "the Scorpion" ....
vs. Wade Crane
Titles
- 1972 Golden 8-Ball Tournament (Tempe, Arizona)
- 1985 Last Call for 9-Ball (Atlantic City, New Jersey)
- 1985 Florida State 9-Ball Championship (Davies, Florida)
- 1985 Busch World Open 9-Ball Championship (Moline, Illinois)
- 1986 Shenandoah Open
- 1987 Steve Gumphreys Memorial 9-Ball Open (Jackson, Mississippi)
- 1991 Southeastern 9-Ball Tournament (St. Petersburg, Florida)
- 2010 One-Pocket Hall of Fame Lifetime Pool in Action Award