Jimmy Mataya is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 professional pool

Pocket billiards

Pool, also more formally known as pocket billiards or pool billiards , is the family of cue sports and games played on a pool table having six receptacles called pockets along the , into which balls are deposited as the main goal of play. Popular versions include eight-ball and nine-ball...

 player, nicknamed "Pretty Boy Floyd".

In 1982, Jimmy Mataya, 31, wed Ewa Svensson

Ewa Mataya Laurance

Ewa Laurance is a Swedish–American professional pool player, most notably on the Women's Professional Billiard Association nine-ball tour, a sports writer, and more recently a sports commentator for ESPN...

, 17, of Sweden

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 (who was later inducted into Billiard Congress of America

Billiard Congress of America

Billiard Congress of America is a governing body for cue sports in North America , the regional member organization of the World Pool-Billiard Association...

's Hall of Fame as Ewa Mataya Laurance in 2004), forming pool's first "power couple". Their daughter Nikki was born in 1985, but they later divorced.

Mataya enjoys other games of stake. In 1991, he was seen leaving Las Vegas

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...

 in a brand-new Cadillac

Cadillac

Cadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...

, courtesy of the Sahara Casino. In that same year Snap Magazine published an "...in-depth interview with Mataya, who offered many tips for young players and talked about his vision for the future of the sport." The article appeared in the July/August, 1991 issue of The Snap.

Professional career

• 1977 Dayton Open Eight-ball Championship
• 1982 Port Angeles Open

Former world champion with over 30 major titles.

Filmography

When Mataya left the professional pool tournament trail, he was chosen to be a commentator for pool matches because of his knowledge of the game and his comedic style that entertains the audience. "To add more color to an already colorful show, Mataya was selected as a co-commentator with Danny Diliberto

Danny DiLiberto

Danny DiLiberto is an American professional pool player, nicknamed "Buffalo Dan".A veteran player from the Johnston City era, a teacher, an author, and today working as a commentator for Accu-Stats, DiLiberto is an active member of the pocket billiards community...

 at the 2004 Derby City Classic Nine-ball Ring Game in Louisville, Kentucky

Louisville, Kentucky

Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...

, the first ring game produced for broadcast.

• Pool the Master's Way: With Steve Mizerak (The Miz), Jimmy Mataya (Pretty Boy Floyd) and Ewa Mataya
• "McDermott Masters VII Finals in Las Vegas," Accu-Stats, Earl Strickland
  Earl Strickland
  Earl "The Pearl" Strickland is an American professional pool player and was inducted into the Billiard Congress of America's Hall of Fame in 2006...
  
   vs. Jimmy Mataya, May 23, 1991
• Performed in motion pictures "The Color of Money
  The Color of Money
  The Color of Money is a 1986 film directed by Martin Scorsese from a screenplay by Richard Price, based on the 1984 novel of the same name by Walter Tevis....
  
  " and "Baltimore Bullet"
• Guest appearance as himself on the television show "Vega$
  Vega$
  Vega$ is an American detective television drama series that aired on ABC between 1978 and 1981. It was produced by Aaron Spelling. The series, was filmed in its entirety in Las Vegas, Nevada, which is believed to be the first television series produced entirely in Las Vegas...
  
  ", The Usurper Sept. 26, 1979