Topic: Best players I havent heard of...

[Gwasshoppa]

Anyone here ever heard of a guy named Rick Stroud? He was from Amarillo, TX and I was playing against him on Sheppard AFB in Wichita Falls, TX at the Airmen's Club back in '80-'81.

To this day he had the best pull I've ever seen. I haven't seen some of the guys mentioned here but I see Gummy down at Mort's all the time and vids of the pro masters. This guy would be full of tequila and just smoke a dead long pull without even looking at the table. When he was looking he was like lightning to any open hole and deadly accurate. Only pull I've ever faced as a goalie where you literally had to ask him occasionally what hole he just hit because it disappeared too fast to see it. He was a little like Johnny Horton in that he loved to show off and have fun as much as win. His favorite thing was to set up the ball and then look up and shoot while he was staring you in the face talking to you, and it went every time until he got a few too many tequila sours in him.

He would also spend hours teaching anyone who showed an earnest interest in learning. I used to shoot an open hand pull that was fast and hard, but my wrist would end up raw by the end of a long night of foos so he offered to teach me how to use my wrist. He brought over a bare 2 rod with just the handle on it and had me holding the rod with my left hand and practicing the wrist movement with the handle in my right. I spent hours upon hours with him in dorm rooms after the club closed, getting baked and learning pull shot mechanics while jerking that 2 rod like a pedophile at a pageant. He said he never played in any tournaments when I knew him and he may never have toured.

I was hoping maybe some of you here were from west TX and old enough to remember him. He was a fabulous foos player and a great guy, I only wish I had a pull shot like he had, that thing was like greased lightning on steroids.
 

[gitablok]

My two cents worth....

I first started playing in Dallas Tx. a little over 20 years ago, an area that I found used to be one the hotbeds in the country for foos. It was funny to see Larry post Aaron's name, we had a few battles... good ones. The scene is Dallas back then was pretty rough, and I mean competition wise. The general public may not know these names but I'm sure Papafoos and Larry will.

First, I mention my dearly departed friend, Tandy Bustillos, lightning quick reflexes, best pull push kick ever hands down, his shot was silk. Bucky and Joe Newberry, good fives and good pull shooters, they could beat anybody. Melanie Green, yep a lady, most every guy feared playing her cause they did not want to lose to a girl, if she beat you she would let everybody know . David Hill who we call Duke, a precursor to Pappas's speed and power was just freaky at times. I watched him lose a dyp final to Terry Moore meatball both games in which he shot eight different shots untouched, even Terry was shaking his head.

Some others... Skip Clark... one of nastiest pull shooters around, and in the land of pull shooters that's saying something, one the most explosive take offs ever, if he had a five man everyone would have known him. Harley Parks....owned one of the best push kicks, best long push kick I have seen.

My number one guy would be one of my old partners, Housein Kiani. He struck fear in a lot of the top players because he was such an unknown. He was always a thorn in Loffredo's side because of his ball control. He was one of the first two to the five passers and he was a far wall passer as well. His combination of speed, power, and finess on the five was a beauty to watch.
And during the time he was playing, he had one of the best pulls ever. At times he was simply sick. Those monster pulls coming from such a small guy was just amazing. He just really never toured outside of Texas.

One more guy that i would mention from back in the day but has made a huge comeback would be none other than...... David Vick. Goes to show you what kind of competition they had back then.

[papafoos]

I didn't know Rick Stroud.  Too bad we didn't have internet back then.  At about that time, the best players I knew from Wichita Falls were Brian Ball, a guy named Joey and another named Curtis.  All had good shots but lacked the five rows.  Joey had great reactions and would have made a good player if we had converted him to tournament style.  Now the best in Wichita Falls are Andre and Renita Pierre.  Andre just needs the experience and to get a little meaner.  I hope they are able to stick with it.

I'm not sure about Harley and didn't know David Hill.  If Melonie was Goldstone, she would challenge anybody in the house to play for $5.  She had no fear of anyone.

Joe and Bucky were both solid players.  Kiani was one of the nicest guys you could meet and had a monster pull from the back.  I liked to warm up with Skip Clark and Al Turner because they didn't know how to slack off in pick up games.  When you got tuned up to them, you were ready to start the tournament.  I played with Tandy 2-3 times in his last year.  When we played at Bridgeport, he had been having health problems.  I could tell his game was off.  I enjoyed playing with him.  Our games meshed well.

David Vick is my newest inspiration.  He's proof that the old guys are able to come back and be competitive if they're willing to put in the time.  Ice, next time you see him, tell him I said he's getting slow in his old age.  I always thought he had one of the best pulls in Dallas, very quick and extremely long.  Don't tell him that part though.  He may start growing hair again.

[pebbles]

Mike Bowers could list several unheard of great players from Colorado but Tim Burns "Zeke" comes to mind for me (there were more). Several of the names you mentioned meant a lot to me, especially Frank Garbuglio (and his wife), as he was an upcoming star who was taken to heaven (with his wife) before we knew his potential. I loved watching George Petrohelios play. None of your listed names mean anything to today's generation of players as they are for the most part too young to recognize any of the names or care about the past (and first) generation of foosball tournament players, other than the living legends still playing today and winning tournaments. The topic was unheard of champions and you listed many.

[LarryDavis]

Pebbles, 

Are you actually thinking of Jeff Piscopo, who together with his wife were killed in a car crash on their way home from a weekend tournament (I think it was a NY State Championships)?  Great guy, outstanding player/sportsman, terrible loss to foosball. 

Separately, it's a bit funny to consider past world champions like Tim "Zeke" Burns (or maybe Bob Gibson or Bob Maloney, or say, Johny Valles) as "best players I haven't heard of" but you're right, they played so long ago most of the people playing today don't know who they are/were.  (Although both Bob Gibson and Johnny Valles have showed up at a couple tour events in the last four years, even winning multiple matches in Open...)  One thing I remember out Tim Burns was when he teamed up with Lori Schranz at a $25-grander in Indianapolis in 1978, and watching as they beat Wiswell and Fury to take 1st place in Open Doubles.   

Love to keep the memories going,
Larry "I foos, therefore I am" Davis

[Skittzoid]

Yes Pebbles was talking about Jeff Piscopo. Jeff and I won the 3500 Limited Doubles World Championship in 1989. He was an amazing player. I could have him sit on the big dot and I would shoot as hard as I could and he would catch it. If he did not it would go in most of the time. He was one of the few players I played with that we played as one. My fondest memory of him was when we won in 89 and seeing his face inches from mine screaming WE WON WE WON!!. We had won the winners bracket without losing a game, putting Thor Donovan and his partner (who's name escapes me) into the losers bracket. They won the losers bracket and beat us match ball, to go to the final match. We won the final in 2 games with me shooting an out of gas long pull from the back to take the win on a game ball. Every time I think of this it sends chills down my spine. God rest your soul Jeff. I will never forget you.

1989 Tornado 3500 Limited Doubles World Champions
Jeff Piscopo - Forward -  Detroit, Mi
Scotty Scott - Goalie - Birmingham, Al

[dodger]

Okay, you guys are killing me with all the old names and places of my youth. 

On Bob "the giant killer" Curtain (so named because he invariably beat Fury in singles every time they played), I ran a Michigan State Championships for Tornado in 1996 and he showed up (not to compete, but just to socialize/reminisce) and we had a great trip down memory lane even then.  In fact, several of the regulars from late 70s/early 80s Dolphin Coin tournaments showed up that weekend.  (Dolphin Coin -- I loved those Mt. Pleasant tournaments and college bars!) 

sorry for bring these old post back up but I just joined and have a bunch of Foos history in my past

I am sure we crossed paths in Mt Pleasant. We had some of the best in the world come to town to play and they were always eager to play us townie kids that grew up at the Dolphin Coin.

I replied in another post that Rolfe had passed away last August. We kept in touch throughout the years but his death was a huge hit on me. Rolfe and I would go out west skiing and motorcycling when we were younger. As well as many all night foos parties at his home. I always thought of Rolfe as the grandfather of foosball. RIP Rolfe Schwierin

[Lon]

I enjoyed reading through this thread.

I turn 59 in a few days and enjoyed playing on DMs. I’m the 70s. Have owned 4 of them.

My skill was good enough to play goalie if no one else was around lol

My older brother used to go play in events in Iowa.
He and another guy were so fast I could barely see the shot. They shot So hard they broke pieces off the edges of the hole.

I’m sad to say, I never had the pleasure of watching someone really great but I hope too in the future.

[Lon]

Revise

Playing on DMs in the 70s.