Willie Mosconi Biography

William Joseph Mosconi was an American professional pool player born on June 27, 1913, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and passed away on September 17, 1993. Mosconi is widely considered one of the greatest pool players of all time. Between 1941 and 1957, he won the World Straight Pool Championship nineteen times. In 1954, Mosconi set the officially-recognized straight pool high run world record of 526 consecutive balls. In 1919, an exhibition match was arranged between six-year-old Mosconi and the reigning World Champion, Ralph Greenleaf. The hall was filled with spectators as Mosconi competed in the match, which Greenleaf won, but Mosconi's performance generated notable recognition. In 1924, at the age of 11, Mosconi was the juvenile straight pool champion and was regularly holding trick shot exhibitions.