Cisero Murphy is one of two players to win the World Straight Pool Championship on his first attempt, the other being Ray Martin who won the title in 1971.
14 Facts About Cisero Murphy
1.
2.
Cisero Murphy was capable of running 200 balls, missing a shot, then running another 200.
3.
Cisero Murphy would do it with one of the more unusual strokes in billiards history, coming to a dead stop at the back of his stroke.
4.
Cisero Murphy described it as "a one- or two-second hiccup," which allowed him to take a picture of the shot before committing to it.
5.
Cisero Murphy grew up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, one of eight children.
6.
Cisero Murphy's father left the family home when Murphy was a child, forcing his mother to go on welfare.
7.
One summer young Cisero Murphy began playing pool at the Police Athletic League, and except for short-term jobs, he continued playing pool for the duration of his life.
Related searches
Luther Lassiter 8.
Cisero Murphy became city champion in 1953 and state champion in 1958.
9.
Later in life, Cisero Murphy participated in city programs in an effort to help young adults and children, such as Billiards in the Streets, which was sponsored by the Department of Parks and Recreation.
10.
Cisero Murphy would visit veterans hospitals, senior citizen homes, and mental hospitals giving trick shot exhibitions and teaching people how to play pool.
11.
Cisero Murphy won the New York City championship at age sixteen, and when he was in his twenties, he won the Eastern States 14.1 Championship six straight times.
12.
Cisero Murphy won the Burbank World Invitational 14.1 tournament in 1965, defeating white players such as Joe Balsis, Jimmy Moore, and Luther Lassiter.
13.
Cisero Murphy was inducted into the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame 1995.
14.
Cisero Murphy continued to place near the top in straight pool events during the 1960s and during his career, he had high runs over 250 balls.