1966 World Straight Pool Championship

Results

Place	Player	Prize
1	Luther Lassiter
2	Cisero Murphy

Recap

Published April 13, 2026

The 1966 World Straight Pool Championship was won by Luther "Wimpy" Lassiter, marking his third world title. Lassiter, a North Carolina native, defeated Cisero Murphy at the Windsor Ballroom in New York.

This 1966 victory was part of a strong stretch in Lassiter's career. He won back-to-back titles in 1963-1964 and consecutive championships in 1966-1967. During the mid-1960s, the World Straight Pool Championship was the sport's most prestigious event before nine-ball gained popularity.

Murphy competed as a finalist and had his own championship background. The match took place at the Windsor Ballroom, a venue that hosted major professional pool tournaments during the 1960s.

This championship was one of seven world pocket billiards titles Lassiter won throughout his career. He was inducted into the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame in 1983. Billiards Digest ranked him as the ninth greatest player of the century. The Elizabeth City native competed in both straight pool and nine-ball.

Sources: Luther Lassiter – Wikipedia World Straight Pool Championship – Wikipedia

This recap was compiled from public tournament records and tournament organizer communications. ForceFollow is not affiliated with the tournament organizer.