Willie Munson, the only Black member of Wisconsin Billiards Hall of Fame inaugural class, leaves behind a legacy of progress

Willie Munson was the heartbeat of pool in Milwaukee for the last 60 years.

As the only Black member of the inaugural class of the Wisconsin Billiards Hall of Fame, Munson was highly regarded and respected by his peers as one of the best pool players to ever exist.

Munson had small roles in Hollywood films, including “The Color of Money” in 1986.

He died at the age of 84 from kidney failure on Jan. 17 while in hospice care in Oak Creek.

“He basically broke the color barrier for pool players,” said Jon Kramer, founder and president of the Wisconsin Billiards Hall of Fame.

Munson traveled the U.S. showcasing his skills throughout the mid to late 20th century, and in some parts of the country his race led to differential treatment.

Mary Ellen Nelson met Munson about 20 years ago through her son, Will, a pool player. Munson was a mentor to Will Nelson. Munson got so close to the family that he referred to Mary Ellen Nelson as “mom.” Mary Ellen Nelson said Munson would describe his experiences as a Black man in dominantly white societies.

“He sometimes had to eat in the kitchen of a restaurant instead of in the actual restaurant area with the rest of the pool players or he had a hot plate in his hotel, where he would cook his meals because he couldn’t be out because he was a colored man,” Mary Ellen Nelson said.

Greg Manske said Munson thrived off the opportunity to change someone’s mind, however. Munson used to tell Manske that he was the best friend he ever had. It was Manske that took Munson in when he fell on hard times in the mid to late 2000s. They’ve known each other for 50 years.

“There may have been a place he went to where maybe Blacks weren’t welcome,” Manske said. “But I can tell you that Willie was able to interact with white people throughout this country.”

Munson was so well liked and such a good pool player that he would win money off white players in these establishments and then be invited back to play more because people just wanted to be in his presence, Manske said.

“Sometimes when people lose money playing pool there’s hard feelings,” Manske said. “But he was a graceful winner and loser, and he’s very well liked all across the country by all races.”

Munson was part of the Carver League, the original all-Black pool league connecting north side taverns. He was in the league with his friend for over 64 years, French Griffin.

“Being Black wasn’t the best thing in the world,” Griffin said. “(Discrimination) never really happened in Milwaukee, everybody knew Willie and liked Willie in Milwaukee, it was when he went on the road.”

When pool player Matt Daiber moved to Milwaukee in 2005, he knew immediately that Munson was the man to know. “You ask around who are the best players in the area and his name came up right away,” Daiber said.

Munson was one of the best pool players in Wisconsin history and if you combine that with his “approachability” and “attitude,” Munson might have been the greatest figure in Wisconsin billiards history, Daiber said.

Daiber admits that he and Munson were "adversaries" in the beginning. Daiber thought it would be easy to earn some cash off on Munson, and he was wrong. "I still had the hardest time beating him," Daiber said. "I could not beat him. He was just an all-around player. He was masterful."

Despite foes, Daiber and Munson grew so close over the years, Munson asked Daiber to introduce him during his induction into the Hall of Fame in 2018.

Mississippi boy who achieved success across the U.S.

Born to Jonnie and Juanita Munson in Columbus, Mississippi, on Aug. 17, 1938, Willie arrived in Milwaukee in 1948.

It became apparent early on that Munson was a great pool player, but also a great bowler. He worked at a local bowling alley during high school and bowled several 300 games, a perfect score from getting strikes on 12 consecutive rolls.

After graduating from North Division High School in the 1950s, he worked for West Allis-based manufacturing company Allis-Chalmers.

He began shooting pool at age 17, frequenting pool halls around the area.

Munson met and married his wife in 1959 and they had two children, Frederick and Serita. It was around this time that Munson became most interested in billiards.

Professional pool player and commentator Mark Wilson memorialized Munson in a Facebook post and noted a major accomplishment in 1973, when Munson was among the 32 best pool players in America when he participated in the U.S. Open Straight Pool Championship in Chicago.

Munson didn’t have his best performance that tournament, but Wilson said what stood out is how Munson handled himself in defeat. It is something that Mary Ellen Nelson said Wilson was known for. “Anytime he lost, he was the same person winning and losing," she said. "He was very respectful of his peers. He congratulated people when they won and he didn’t flaunt his winnings.”

Although not receiving any screen time, Munson advised actors and provided trick shots for the 1980 film “The Baltimore Bullet.”

Three years later, Munson finished runner-up in the 1983 World Series of Tavern Pool at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, which roughly 57,000 pool players attempted to qualify to compete.

“It came down to one shot,” Daiber said. “He made a jump shot on the 8-Ball but scratched, so he got second. … He maybe won $10 (thousand) to $15,000, which in the early '80s that was pretty good money.”

Also in 1983 while in Roselle, Illinois, Munson gained more notoriety when he defeated Dallas West, one of the greatest and most well-known pool players of all time.

Goes to Chicago to meet with Scorsese and Cruise

Because of his pool skills and his film credit in 1980, Munson went to Chicago to meet with Hollywood icons Martin Scorsese and Tom Cruise in preparation for their 1986 film “The Color of Money.”

Not only did he provide advice to those working on the film, including famed actor Paul Newman, who won the Academy Award for his reprisal of pool hustler Edward Felson, but Munson earned a bit part in the film for himself.

“He was proud that he was asked to be there … he was honored about it,” Manske said. “He said he had fun doing it and getting to see those stars was fun.”

Munson had a background role, watching two actors play pool, but Manske said anyone who knew pool would have recognized him. “Anybody that is familiar in the pool world would know that was him," Manske said.

Munson would go on to continue his billiards career after filming and in 1994 placed third in the U.S. Open One-Pocket Championship in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Several of the best pool players in the country were part of the tournament.

Throughout his career, Munson placed 18 times in the Top 3 in Billiard Congress of Wisconsin events, he is the top overall performer in BCW 9-Ball history, he won the 9-Ball state championship in multiple states, and he racked up multiple championships regionally and nationally.

In 2018, he was one of four people inducted into the Hall of Fame in its inaugural class.

In his later years, Munson spent a lot of his time shooting pool at Romine’s High Pockets at the old location on North 27th Street and West Wisconsin Avenue. The pool hall now is known simply as Romine’s and is now located in Greenfield at 6125 S. 27th St. Munson was a “religious customer” of both establishments, Manske said. It wasn't uncommon to see Munson mentoring younger players at Romine's, Daiber said.

Hall of Fame to honor Munson

“I never saw a ring game I didn’t like,” Munson said repeatedly throughout his life. On his digital profile at the Hall of Fame, his quote is featured prominently.

Ring games are more of a social game than the sternness of a professional match, Kramer said. The term “ring” is used because multiple players alternate shots and a cycle continues until someone loses. The player who pockets the final ball wins the purse.

During Wisconsin Billiards Hall of Fame Induction Weekend later this year, where the Class of 2023 is announced, Munson will receive a ring game tournament in his name for at least this year, president Kramer told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

“He’s kind of like the Mount Rushmore of pool players for the state, definitely a legend for sure,” Kramer said. “We don’t have all the details yet but there will certainly be a special event and a trophy in his name,” adding that the event “definitely will be” a ring game.

Hall of Fame weekend is tentatively scheduled to take place Oct. 6-8 in Appleton at The Mad Apple Burger & Billiard Co.

Munson also will be memorialized on Feb. 13 at his celebration of life. Friends and family are expected to attend, and several of Munson’s peers will speak about the pool legend.

Visitation is from 1 to 2 p.m., followed by service at 2 p.m. at The Family Center at Wisconsin Memorial Park, 13037 W. Capitol Drive in Brookfield. In lieu of flowers, memorials are asked to be directed to the Milwaukee Rescue Mission.

Contact Drake Bentley at (414) 391-5647 or DBentley1@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DrakeBentleyMJS. 

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Willie Munson, the heartbeat of pool in Milwaukee, dead at 84