Untold Stories: Harold Worst

Boston Shorty versus Harold Worst

2011-01-23T13:40:00.001-08:00

Boston Shorty won the Johnston City One-Pocket competition four times. He is remembered today as one of the greatest one-pocket players ever. Harold Worst won the 1965 event outright, as well as that year's Stardust Open. He was nearly unstoppable when he was at the top of his game. Worst could have been remembered as the most dominant player of the 1960s if not for his premature death (at age 37) from cancer.

You can watch the two legendary players battling it out in the video above. I really love the groovy jazz music. Very atmospheric. And if you want to learn more, there's also Hustler Days. The book includes information about the famous Johnston City tournaments, Worst's dominant play in 1965, and a reference to Jersey Red's travels with Boston Shorty. Freddy "The Beard" Bentivegna also has a link to a Jim McKay interview with Worst, which you can find here.

-- R.A. Dyer

Videos of Pool Champ Harold Worst in 1965

2009-08-25T07:17:00.001-07:00

Check out the cool videos of Harold Worst playing in Johnston City, circa 1965, which was about a year before Worst died of cancer. You can find the video on a blog maintained by Freddy "The Beard" Bentivegna. Just click here. Worst is playing Larry "Boston" Shorty in the footage. The Beard also has posted a Jim McKay interview with Worst.

A bit of quick biographical information: Worst was born on Sept. 29, 1929, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In 1949, according to The Grand Rapids Press, "Worst had followed in Hoppe's steps as a 'boy wonder,' having set a record for youth when at the age of 21 he became the youngest player in history to qualify for world championship play." He placed second in that year's national tournament and then fourth in the world meet. In 1954 he won the world three-cushion title during a tournament in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He then went on to amass a great winning record through the first half of the 1960s and might have surpassed Luther Lassiter as that decade's dominant player had Worst not died of cancer in 1966 at the age of 37. Worst was at the top of this game when he got sick. He remained unconquered as the world's three-cushion champion.

You can read more about Worst in a column I wrote earlier for Billiards Digest. The coding is a bit messed up, but it's still available online here. On the top of this post I've inserted an image of the front page of the Grand Rapids Press that features coverage of Worst. Forgive the dark stains. I think I spilled some wine on my hard copy. You can find the home page of the great Freddy the Beard here.

America's Best Ever Pool Player? You Decide

2009-08-07T06:40:00.001-07:00

Who is America's best ever pool player? The poll on the top right of the pool history blog lists some all-time favorites, including recent Hall of Fame inductee Johnny Archer. I've left Willie Hoppe off the list because he was known as one of the best-ever billiards players, as opposed to one of the best-ever pool players. Neither have I included one of my personal favorites, Efren "Bata" Reyes. As he's from the Philippines, I figured I'd save him for a future poll of the greatest international players. I've also tried to get a good mix of players from different eras. (Van Boening vs. Greenleaf?!) Vote early. Vote often. I'll leave the poll up for awhile. Also, if you have a write-in candidate, feel free to comment at the bottom of this post. I'll tally up the write-ins later, along with those listed on the ballot.

The Instructions

2007-08-20T21:35:00.001-07:00

*The Instructions
Originally uploaded by jakedyer.
The instructions describe the "Harold Worst Angle-Guide" as a "Precision Engineered Teaching Device"

More Info about the Angle-Guide

2007-08-18T22:32:00.000-07:00

*More Info about the Angle-Guide
Originally uploaded by jakedyer.
Of this device, collector Mike Porter says that when shooting, the rails obviously eliminate any squirt due to an off center hit. There isn't a date anywhere but it was manufactured by Rellim Products in Jackson, Michigan.

Another article about Harold Worst

2007-08-18T22:29:00.000-07:00

LaNacion2a
Originally uploaded by jakedyer.
From La Nacion, published in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

An article about Harold Worst

2007-08-18T22:27:00.000-07:00

LaNacion1a
Originally uploaded by jakedyer.
This is from La Nacion, published in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It tells of Worst's participation in the 1954 world championship tournament.

Harold Worst Angle Guide

2007-08-18T22:25:00.000-07:00

*Harold Worst Angle Guide
Originally uploaded by jakedyer.
Billiards collector Mike Porter found this gadget on ebay.

Tena Worst, widow of pool great Harold Worst, remembers how they met

2007-08-18T22:24:00.000-07:00

"His father and mother and my mother and father owned cottages in Big White Fish -- and so we met there. I was 15 then. We would only see each other in the summer. That's how we met.We'd hang out together and they had a pavilion there. We would have fun together. We went fishing and everything.

He was a man's man. He didn't hang out with girls very much. ... In town, there was a carnival -- at Sand Lake , a little town. We would go there in the summer time, and there was a theater, in Cedar Springs, and we'd go there and see a movie. And that's how it all got started."

Tena Worst remembers how Harold wore a suit.

2007-08-18T22:22:00.000-07:00

Tena Worst, the widow of pool great Harold Worst, recalls their courtship in Michigan. She said he would get ``dressed up'' when he met the parents.

"He was the only (friend) that came to the door in the suit -- the guys that i went with, the young men, they wore sports shirts. So I thought he was older.

You know, he came to the door, and he was all dressed up, and I was young. Consequently, it didn't look normal to me, for him to have a suit. But I thought he looked very nice. ... And then we talked and everything, and he was a lot of fun. He had a terrific laugh on him. I enjoyed going with him."

He came to the door, and he was all dressed up. I was a young girl, consequently -- it just didn't look normal to me, to have on a suit."