Professional Pool Player. Melvin "Strawberry" Brooks was a celebrity as a professional pool player. He had a troubled past as a young adult and worked odd jobs until he could support himself and his family playing pool. He married three times and had eleven children. He served in the US Army in the 1950's after the Korean War. He also appeared on the HBO TV show, "The Wire" in several episodes playing various street characters. He was known for his patience at the table, precise shot making skills and overwhelming talent. He was considered as a dominate one-pocket pool player against any opponent. One pocket was the game which defined his career. It is a difficult defensive concentrated pool game that is often compared strategically to chess and preferred by serious players and gamblers. Because the color barrier kept him out of professional tournaments, he hustled pool for many years before his celebrity status eventually caught up with him. His caliber of play ranked him as a viable contender against other one-pocket greats such as Grady Matthews, Weenie Beenie, Ronnie Allen and Steve Cook in high stakes matches across the country. Many of his pool matches were recorded by the popular Accu-Stats video productions and sold to viewers around the world. He was inducted into the One-Pocket hall of fame on January 9, 2007 in Louisville, Kentucky. He died of lung cancer before he could make the honorable appearance at the induction ceremony. He was 73 years old.
Professional Pool Player. Melvin "Strawberry" Brooks was a celebrity as a professional pool player. He had a troubled past as a young adult and worked odd jobs until he could support himself and his family playing pool. He married three times and had eleven children. He served in the US Army in the 1950's after the Korean War. He also appeared on the HBO TV show, "The Wire" in several episodes playing various street characters. He was known for his patience at the table, precise shot making skills and overwhelming talent. He was considered as a dominate one-pocket pool player against any opponent. One pocket was the game which defined his career. It is a difficult defensive concentrated pool game that is often compared strategically to chess and preferred by serious players and gamblers. Because the color barrier kept him out of professional tournaments, he hustled pool for many years before his celebrity status eventually caught up with him. His caliber of play ranked him as a viable contender against other one-pocket greats such as Grady Matthews, Weenie Beenie, Ronnie Allen and Steve Cook in high stakes matches across the country. Many of his pool matches were recorded by the popular Accu-Stats video productions and sold to viewers around the world. He was inducted into the One-Pocket hall of fame on January 9, 2007 in Louisville, Kentucky. He died of lung cancer before he could make the honorable appearance at the induction ceremony. He was 73 years old.
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Records on Ancestry
Advertisement
