By Elliott West
Introduction
James or Jim Rempe is one of the most successful players in the history of pool, winning over 100 major championships and claiming 11 world titles between 1971 and 1999. Rempe created a pool legacy and dynasty that few have been able to replicate in the sport and had a technical game that was second to none. A master of his craft, Rempe is a player that knew every angle and shot that could be made on a pool table and left many of his opponents having to pack their bags in defeat.
Career
Born 1947, in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Jim Rempe, like so many cue sports’ players, started playing pool at an early age, 6 years old to be precise and turned professional at the age of 22. Someone who was given the nickname of ‘King James’ due to accumulating 23 tournament wins between 1972 and 1978, more than any pool player in the world. Someone who really showed their skill when Jim took on the challenge of a tour of Australia in 1975, where he faced the Australian legend Eddie Charlton, a man who although best known for being a snooker player, could turn his hand to any sport. Rempe was victorious against the New South Wales professional, defeating him in nine-ball, rotation and straight pool.
Rempe won 11 pool titles during his career, including the World Straight Pool Championship, the WPA World Nine-ball Championship, the World One-pocket Championship and in later years, the Mizerak Senior Tour. A player who became a member of the Billiard Congress of America’s Hall of Fame in 2002.
Transition to Snooker
Much had said been said about Judd Trump making the decision to take part in the US Open recently but there have been some pool players who have made the courageous decision to try and replicate their natural talent in snooker. This venture took place in the 1980s with two names being the late Steve Mizerak and of course Jim Rempe. No one said this would be an easy task as pool and snooker are completely different ball games but both require a massive amount of skill to be successful in.
Rempe didn’t fair too well in snooker and Desmond Kane described the venture as ending with the player being described as “cattle fodder”. A description made after his defeat to a young Stephen Hendry, losing 10-4 to him in the last 64 of the 1987 World Championship. Jim did contribute a break of 59 in that match and made an earlier break of 105 in his match against Martin Smith in the first round, defeating his opponent 10-9, proving that this adventure wasn’t as foolish as many portrayed. A venture that was more successful than Steve Mizerak who was badly defeated in a pool/snooker challenge in the 1980s, an event that Steve Davis and Jimmy White also took part in.
Mizerak was victorious, thanks to the pool challenge, a combination of pool and nine-ball but in the snooker, lost heavily in both matches, only managing to win a frame in his 5-1 defeat against Steve Davis. Perhaps this defeat was not helped by Steve using a pool cue to play in these matches.
Jim also played in a couple of World Team Cups when they included a ‘Rest of the World’ team. In 1980, he played with Perrie Mans (South Africa) and Eddie Sinclair (Scotland) and in 1985 when he joined Silvino Francisco (South Africa) and Dene O’Kane (New Zealand).
The Rempe Legacy
Jim Rempe will go down in pool history as one of the greatest with only Earl Strickland coming anywhere close to the legacy he has left in the history books. A natural touch player, Rempe had all the shots up his sleeve and could make a pool table look like putty in his hands. A player within a remarkable career and someone who many a pool player will strive to emulate and only a select few can attempt to chase his long list of career victories.
