Mike Massey

Michael Massey (born April 9, 1947), professionally known as Mike Massey, is an American professional pocket-billiards (pool) player, best known as a trick-shot artist since the late 1970s, who has given substantial visibility to the sport by traveling the globe to perform exhibitions and compete in a variety of disciplines.He has won professional national and international tournaments in trick-shot competition, nine-ball, eight-ball, straight-pool (14.1 continuous), and one-pocket, and he has become even more influential in the sport as an accomplished instructor, consultant, and fund-raiser.From 1989 to 1991 he served as a contributing editor of The Snap Magazine. Massey was born in Loudon, Tennessee, and for several years lived in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he owned a pool hall. He has the nickname of "Tennessee Tarzan", but he now lives in Midway, Utah.

Massey was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Billiard Congress of America on April 7, 2005. For 2007 he was ranked as #8 in Pool & Billiard Magazine's poll of the "Fans' Top 20 Favorite Players".

In 1991, Massey took part in the inaugural World Trickshot Championship in the United Kingdom and despite not winning the event, demonstrated his skills in a special "duel" against the former World Snooker Champion Steve Davis before a live audience, hosted by TV personality Jeremy Beadle. Massey also demonstrated his ability to impart spin onto a ball with his hand, throwing cue balls from the baulk end of the 12-foot-long snooker table, which would then curve around and travel behind the black spot to pocket (snooker term: pot) a red ball placed in front of the top righthand pocket, without the cue ball touching a cushion.Massey used props and illusion as an integral part of his routine, such as two balls bonded together, magic props and card tricks. In the words of the 1991 World Trickshot Champion Terry Griffiths: "I feel quite embarrassed to have won actually; Mike Massey is miles ahead of the rest of us. I think it was maybe a touch of nerves that put him off tonight." Massey would go on to win the event in later years.

Massey was also notable for his ability to pick up twice as many pool balls using only one hand than anyone else, a skill he claimed had won him many bets. During the aforementioned Duel with Steve Davis, he managed to pick up 8 balls, with Davis managing to pick up 5. Massey stated that the smaller snooker balls (as compared to U.S. pool balls) made the task more difficult rather than easier. Massey was able to achieve his total of 8 balls by holding a ball between each finger, then picking up 3 more using his palm and thumb muscle.

• 2007 Pool & Billiard Magazine Fans' Top 20 Favorite Players, #8
• 2005 induction into the Billiard Congress of America's Hall of Fame
• 2004 Trick Shot Magic Champion
• 2003 Trick Shot Magic Champion
• 2003 World Artistic Pool Champion
• 2002 World Artistic Pool Champion
• 2002 BCA North American Artistic Pool Champion
• 2001 Trick Shot Magic Champion
• 2000 World Artistic Pool Champion
• 2000 BCA North American Artistic Pool Champion
• 2000 World Artistic Pool Champion
• 2000 Trick Shot Magic Champion
• 1996 Snooker World Trick Shot Champion
• 1992 Snooker World Trick Shot Champion
• 1997 Senior Nine-ball Masters Champion
• 1996 winning team member in the Mosconi Cup, Team USA
• 1996 Dutch National Eight-ball Champion
• 1996 Hall of Fame Eight-ball Champion
• High runs of 9 racks of nine-ball in tournament play, and 13 racks in challenge match play
• High run of 224 balls in straight pool
• 11,230 balls pocketed in marathon shooting (24 hours)
• 8,090 balls pocketed in marathon shooting with one arm
• World record for most racks of nine-ball run in 24-hour period: 330 racks on live television in Austria