The 61-year-old Realtor has won two national championships.
Rich Ross at the Ivory Billiards Hall in Holyoke with two of his APA trophies.
WILBRAHAM – Whatever might be happening in the life of Rich Ross, he always finds time for his favorite game: Pool.
“I pick up a cue every day,” he said. “If I’m not playing in a tournament, I’m playing in my basement – my own little world.”
Ross, a 61-year-old Wilbraham Realtor, has been devoted to pool since he was introduced to it by his father as a 7-year-old in his hometown of Buffalo, N.Y.
That devotion has led him to become a master of the pool table – winner of hundreds of tournaments, holder of two national championship trophies, and now, electee to the New England Pool and Billiards Hall of Fame.
Ross will be inducted in the Class of 2013 on March 1 at the Providence Marriott. A New England nine-ball tournament will follow March 2-3.
“The Hall of Fame is a wonderful thing for our sport. They do a beautiful job with it, very classy,” said Bruce Barthelette, a South Hadley resident who was enshrined in 2011. Well known as a member of Team USA in the World Cup of Trick-Shot Billiards, he operates the Connecticut franchise of the American Pool Players Association, which has thousands of members.
The NE Pool and Billiards Hall of Fame has a permanent display at Snooker’s, a famed venue in Providence. The late Ray Desell of New Bedford, a longtime collector of pool-billiards memorabilia, founded the Hall of Fame in 1995.
Tom McGonagle of Warwick, R.I., himself a Hall of Famer, now serves as its director.
“I got a letter from Tom telling me that he was nominating me for induction,” Ross said. “It’s a great honor, and I’m very excited about being recognized in the sport I love.”
He will be the seventh inductee from the Connecticut Valley. Already enshrined, along with Barthelette, are Paul Lucchesi Sr. of Holyoke, Matt Tetreault of Agawam, John Wadleigh of Millers Falls, and Mark Kulungian and Beau McGarrett of Springfield.
Ross shot into pool prominence in 1995 and 1996, when he became the first player to win back-to-back titles in the U.S. Amateur Championships in Las Vegas.
It all started for him in 1970, when, as an 18-year-old, he began playing competitively in Buffalo. That was “the era of the smoke-filled room,” as he refers to it.
In those days, the general public perceived pool as a game for hustlers and gamblers. The pool hall was not considered to be a place for young boys, as Meredith Wilson so clearly stated in the “Trouble in River City” number from his 1957 Broadway hit, “The Music Man.”
“There’s trouble, right here is River City,” sings professor Harold Hill. “With a capital T and that rhymes with P and that stands for pool.”
As Barthelette once said, “That song is the worst thing that ever happened to our game.”
Well, those bad-rap days are long gone. Today, pool players enjoy the game in plush, well-lighted facilities. And, unlike the old days, the game now has a large percentage of female players.
When Ross began playing competitively, a Buffalo legend named Dan DiLamberto served as his role model.
“He was a great player, and quite a lightweight boxer and bowler,” Ross said. “He bowled a 300 game, then had a 300 run in straight pool the same day. For me, he was the guy to watch. You watch, and you learn.”
When Ross speaks of “a 300 run” he refers to a feat that is difficult to accomplish in straight pool. His own personal best run is 183. He has had several others over 100.
The object of straight pool – a game not played much today – is to pocket all balls on the table except one. The other balls then are racked up again. To keep the game going, the shooter must pocket the last ball while at the same time breaking open the rack to spread the other balls around the table.
Ross’s 183 run meant that he pocketed the ball and broke the rack 14 times in a row.
“Willie Mosconi is the most famous player – he holds the world record with a run of 526, and nobody’s come close to that,” Ross said.
With straight pool now considered to be a game of the past, most players prefer nine-ball, the object of which is to pocket the nine ball without committing a foul. Balls must be pocketed in rotation – 1 through 8 – unless a combination shot pockets the nine.
“Whoever gets the nine wins the game,” Ross said.
Experts such as Ross know how to place the cue ball in position for the next shot.
“You’re always trying to leave yourself with the easiest shot possible, And you’re always thinking three-four-five shots ahead,” he said. “The only way to learn is to watch, watch, watch. That’s what I did when I was a kid.”
These days, he plays an average of 80 tournaments per year, all with the blessing of his wife, Nancy. They have been married for 34 years.
“I’ve played more than 1,000 tournaments over the last 25 years, and won over 500. I play because I love the competition, and I know how to focus. You can’t lose focus for a second,” he said.
“I’d say that Richie has won more local tournaments than anyone else,” Barthelette said. “He’s a dedicated, hard-nosed player – no fear. They call him the bulldog, because no matter what’s going on in the match, he’s tenacious. He doesn’t go away.”