By Elliott West
Introduction
Considered to be one of the finest nine-ball players of all time, Earl Strickland is now considered to be pool royalty on the circuit. A player who has defined the word longevity, Strickland never ceases to surprise. A volatile soul who is prone to outspoken outbursts and never shies away from vocalising what is on his mind, Earl has won numerous titles throughout his career and is highly rated as a player and always accepts a game against Ronnie O’Sullivan when he visits America. Someone who has been described as playing “like a polished gem”, Strickland continues to mature as fine wine and retirement seems at present, out of the question.
Career
Born in 1961, in Roseboro, North Carolina, Earl Strickland started playing pool at the age of 8. By the age of 16, after many hours of practice, Earl entered his first pool competition and in 1983 sealed his first victory in Lake Tahoe. This was followed by another glorious triumph in 1984 when he won the Caesars Palace Pro Billiard Classic in Las Vegas. Hotly tipped then as a major force in the sport and a potential future world champion, Earl possessed that chemical equation that few have, a combination of :
“skill, endurance, patience, temperament and tenacity of which champions are made”.
The National Billiard News
It was a dominance in the game that just grew and grew with Earl soon being named as the National Billiard News Player of the Year in 1984. He also won the 1988 World Open after a suspenseful final between himself and Mike Sigel. Strickland would go to win five US Open Nine-ball Championships and is the only player to have ever won the title in consecutive years. Earl also played for his country, part of the USA team in the Mosconi Cup from its foundation in 1994 until 2009.
Strickland once won 11 consecutive racks against Nick Mannino and won a staggering $1000,000 for the feat, breaking the record of 10 racks. This achievement, performed at the first PCA tournament in 1996, one where Earl “fired it in with authority” to win the cash prize. An achievement that was even more unbelievable as he had set up the challenge and it was achieved on the first day of the first staging of this tournament. However, the negative publicity surrounding him winning the money led to the quick demise of the tour.
Shrouded in Controversy
Earl Strickland is a player who is no stranger to controversy with various outbursts across the years. One such example was at the 2003 WPA World Nine-ball Championship where he complained about the audience booing him and feeling that the tournament was all centred around Steve Davis. A gripe that was fuelled by the event being staged in the UK and Sky Sports showing clips of Steve Davis winning the previous year’s Mosconi Cup against him. Strickland was also caught on the microphone, swearing and telling the referee, Michaela Tabb to “shut up” when she reprimanded him. This behaviour would not be unique to this tournament and Earl continued to frustrate the rules in future tournaments such as the 2007 Mosconi Cup and similarly the one the following year.
Summary
Despite his controversial character, Earl Strickland is still regarded as one of the best pool players that have graced the sport. A truly natural and someone who is fluent and truly educated in gamesmanship. Earl has proved that he had been able to sustain the course of time and still produces fine play despite his age. A force that still burns bright in the world of pool and a legend on and off the table.
