U.J. Puckett
Encyclopedia
Utley J. Puckett best known as U. J. Puckett, was an American
professional pocket billiards
(pool) player.
in 1911. His father was killed in a logging mishap when he was only 5. He was talented in pool from an early age, and won the national nine-ball title in later years.
During the 1970s Utley Puckett frequented The Golden Nugget pool hall on W. Seventh Street in Fort Worth, Texas run by Gary Cecora. Pucket would turn down most offers to play with his trademark lopsided smile, "I can't play anymore". He preferred to hold court as the dean of the hustlers. He always had a ready smile and a fresh quip for everyone, from oldtime pool players like Magnolia Red (J.R. Richardson) to any guy just in off the street. Puckett befriended and offered playing tips to many up and coming players like Robert Newkirk and Frank "Bird" Thompson. UJ was impossible to forget; he had a big voice, ready smile and huge personality, his white hair stuck out from under a big hat, and a his shuffling gait emphasized his size fourteen double narrow loafers.
He died in 1992 due to a stroke
, at age 81. Years after his death, there have been rumors of his spirit
's presence at a pool hall in Texas.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional pocket billiards
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...
(pool) player.
Biography
Puckett was born in Prattsville, ArkansasPrattsville, Arkansas
Prattsville is a town in Grant County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 305 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Little Rock–North Little Rock–Conway Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
in 1911. His father was killed in a logging mishap when he was only 5. He was talented in pool from an early age, and won the national nine-ball title in later years.
During the 1970s Utley Puckett frequented The Golden Nugget pool hall on W. Seventh Street in Fort Worth, Texas run by Gary Cecora. Pucket would turn down most offers to play with his trademark lopsided smile, "I can't play anymore". He preferred to hold court as the dean of the hustlers. He always had a ready smile and a fresh quip for everyone, from oldtime pool players like Magnolia Red (J.R. Richardson) to any guy just in off the street. Puckett befriended and offered playing tips to many up and coming players like Robert Newkirk and Frank "Bird" Thompson. UJ was impossible to forget; he had a big voice, ready smile and huge personality, his white hair stuck out from under a big hat, and a his shuffling gait emphasized his size fourteen double narrow loafers.
He died in 1992 due to a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
, at age 81. Years after his death, there have been rumors of his spirit
Ghost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
's presence at a pool hall in Texas.