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Game Over for the Glass City Open
Jun 7, 2006, 9:38 AM

Tom Gearhart, co-owner of the Toledo, Ohio-based Glass City Open with partner Tom Elder, gave a glassy-eyed eulogy for the 22-year-old independent 9-ball tournament via press release yesterday.

"Although record crowds packed the seats every night, it still wasn't enough for this great tournament to break even. Simply put, without serious sponsorship, the Glass City Open costs much more to put on than we were able to take in," he wrote.

The Glass City Open began in 1984, when Joe Kerr, Larry Kahan and Tom Elder teamed up to create an independent 9-ball event. The first one was held in Hi-Q Billiards and offered a modest $2,400 added to the player entry fees. Kerr was able to attract many of the top players such as Mike Sigel (the first ever champion of the Glass City Open), Kim Davenport, Buddy Hall, Earl Strickland, Wade Crane, Jimmy Mataya and many more.

Due to the declining health of Kahan and Kerr, the tournament was discontinued in 1993. Larry has now passed on, and Kerr has been forced to retire from the sport he loves due to a rare neurological disease called Myasthenia Gravis.

Gearhart and Elder took over in 2002 and got the tournament back on its feet, but have opted to pull the plug in 2006.

Gearhart wrote: "I, and all the others who have attended a Glass City Open, will always recall the superb playing, great match-ups, unbelievable shotmaking, the approachability of the great players for autographs and conversation, bellying up to the bar and listening to the never-ending tales of stories while on the road, plus...who will ever forget all the entertaining bark-fests between top players and amateurs alike trying to get in action morning, noon, and night? Folks, you can't put a price on those kind of memories! Again, thanks to all who made this tournament possible."