Don Willis

Who was Don Willis?

Don Willis was a colorful pool hustler from Canton, Ohio who often traveled with pool champion Luther Lassiter. In the late 1940s and 1950s, when pool was in decline and cash prizes for pool tournaments did not pay enough for a full-time income, Willis chose to travel America playing private pool games for money.

According to R.A. Dyer, Willis befriended Luther Lassiter in 1948 after beating Lassiter at 9-ball. Lassiter, who went on to win 18 world championships, was perhaps America’s best 9-ball player; together, the two men formed “arguably the most formidable road team in American history.”

As Willis told the Evansville Courier & Press in 1977, “I broke Lassiter one night playing 9-ball in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. He suggested that we become road partners…We split everything we made—sometimes as much as $5000 or $10,000 over a period of several days.” When hustling with Lassiter, Willis often went first, playing the lemon to set up a victim for Lassiter, who would then finish the opponent.

In addition to pool, Willis played the game of ping pong so well he could win games playing with a bottle as a paddle.