During a game between Balsis and Varner, Nick ran 58 balls, beating Joe 150-148. In 1970, Nick received another boost to his confidence as a player when top pro Joe Balsis visited Purdue for an exhibition. In 1969 and in 1970, he won back-to-back National Collegiate Championships. Even though he had not played in months, Varner trailed Baumgarth by only four games after two hours of play.ĭuring the next three years, Varner practiced daily, and his game improved.
Richard Baumgarth, soon to National Collegiate Champion, stepped forward.
However, one day early in his second semester, Varner dropped into the billiard room and asked if anyone wanted to play. By the time he graduated from high school, Varner had become a top local player.ĭespite his home town reputation, Varner avoided pool rooms during his first semester at Purdue-figuring a farm boy would be outclassed.
The young farm boy soon became a familiar sight in the pool room pulling a coke case around the table so that he could reach the shots on the table. Currently considered by many the world's Best All-Around and Best 9-Ball Player, Nick Varner picked up his first pool cue at age five when his father, Nicholas, bought a small pool room in Grandview, Indiana.
