Irving Crane

Irving Crane, nicknamed the Deacon, was an American pool player from Livonia, New York, who lived from November 13, 1913, to November 17, 2001, and ranks among the stellar players in the history of the sport. Widely considered one of the greatest pool players of all time and a member of the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame, he is best known for his mastery of straight pool, or 14.1 continuous, in which he won numerous championships including six World Straight Pool Championship titles. His fascination with billiards began at eleven with a toy pool table his brother received as a Christmas gift, and his parents later replaced their dining room table with a four by eight foot pool table.