The Michael J. Repici Memorial Scholarship for Girls in Billiards

THE MICHAEL J. REPICI MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP FOR GIRLS IN BILLIARDS HONORS A LEGACY AND SUPPORTS YOUNG BILLIARD PLAYERS

When Laura Matera lost her husband, Michael J. Repici, on July 25 at the young age of 63, she wanted to find a way to honor him and his legacy. This, after all, was a man who gave so much of his life to the game of pool and who was respected and loved by people in the industry throughout the country.

The idea she came up with is the Michael J. Repici Memorial Scholarship for Girls in Billiards, and it is a perfect tribute to Repici, as it combines his love for pool and the boundless excitement he would exhibit when he saw young people, especially girls, play pool. Among the many happy memories Matera has for her husband are his reactions when they attended trade shows and saw kids participating in Billiard Education Foundation programs show their stuff.

“Michael was just amazed,” Matera says. “We would stand there for hours, watching these kids play. And he would be talking non-stop, pointing to the kids and saying, “Laura, Laura look – this kid can barely see over the top of the table!’

“But when he saw a young girl, he would go nuts, because he would say, ‘Laura, you need to understand, when I was coming up in the pool rooms, there were no girls – ever. You never saw girls, now look at these girls!’ And I’ve always been an advocate for women’s issues and girls, so I thought, what better way to honor his memory, and have my passion involved, so the scholarship is geared to girls.”

Michael J. Repici

By Anthony Stoeckert

SUPPORTING YOUNG POOL PLAYERS

The Michael J. Repici Memorial Scholarship for Girls in Billiards will bestow three $1,000 awards to young female players at the BEF Junior National Pool Championship – one each to the topplace finishers in the 14&U, 16&U and 18U Girls 9-Ball Divisions. The money is intended to help these budding billiard stars with their expenses as they compete in events, with the goal of encouraging them to continue to strive for excellence in the sport that they love and which Michael dedicated so much of his time to promoting and growing.

“I started thinking about this within two days after he passed,” Matera says. “I needed to do something, and it has brought me a lot of peace and comfort, I have to say, putting this together.”

Among the people who are supporting this endeavor are Michael’s teammates from his Tuesday night 9-ball team, who changed their name to Player #9 in his memory and who, along with members of the local APA, hosted a memorial tournament in August that raised more than $2,000 for the scholarship program, including more than $900 in a corporation donation and a man who offered $20 for every drink purchased at the bar during a specific hour.

And Laura notes that the best part of the event is that a woman, Kelly “Kels” Carnes, won the event.

Michael made quite an impact among his teammates and competitors, winning league MVP in his skill class three years in a row. That team of Michael’s was based in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, where he moved to three years ago after retiring from his business, Repici’s Custom Billiard Service. His pas-

sion for billiards was sparked at a pool room in Northeast Philadelphia, where he spent a lot of time as a teenager.

DISCOVERING HIS PASSION

That pool room was also where the seeds for his long and successful career were planted.

“That’s where he found his love of billiards, in this pool room as a young teen,” Matera says. “A guy who had a billiard business who re-covered tables – he was an installer – took Michael under his wing and taught him the business, and very early on, the guy ended up retiring and Michael took over the business.”

Michael purchased the guy’s van and tools and got to work on building his career. He was a craftsman who moved, installed and refurbished tables from 1976 until his retirement in July of 2018.

“Michael is known across the nation, really,” Matera says. “As a matter of fact, at one point Brunswick wanted to hire him when he was ready to retire, somebody was kicking around the idea of Michael teaching installers. “

When asked what made her husband so good at his work, Matera pointed to his dedication and his remarkable memory, which helped him create real relationships with his customers and clients.

“People nicknamed him the Rain Main because he remembered every single detail about everything,” she says. “Somebody could pick up the phone and say, ‘You did my table 20-something years ago,’ and he would start and he would go on and on and on, and tell you every detail about your table, about your home, about what kind of day it was when he went out to do your job. It was amazing, his attention to detail.”

His extraordinary memory also came in handy in his personal life, as he never forgot the birthdays and anniversaries of his family and friends.

He traveled the country and met many celebrities whose tables he installed. Michael and his brother, Frank, were renowned as “The Brothers” who could be counted on to do outstanding work on pool tables.

Another of Michael’s defining characteristics was his generosity, as he sponsored youth sports teams and charity events. In addition to Frank, he had another brother, Philip, and three sisters – Marie, Joanne and Paula. He was also close to his many nieces and nephews and held a special place in his heart for his godchildren, Alyssa, Joey and Nicolina.

Most of Michae’ls family wearing Recipi’s Custom Billiard Service T-shirts.

A REMARKABLE MEMORY, AND A TRUE FRIEND

Michael was a lifelong Beatles fan and sports fans, and with that memory, he was also a wiz at sports trivia. When his friend, Adeeb Ibrahim, gave a eulogy for Michael, he talked about his remarkable knowledge of pool players and billiards.

“Many arguments and discussions were had about who were the greatest pool players of all time,” Ibrahim says. “In his opinion it was Mike Seagal. Michael shared countless stories about local Philly legends like Jimmy ‘The Philly Phlash’ Fusco, ‘One Eyed Henry’ Basheer, Willie Mosconi, and many more. Michael knew them all.”

Ibrahim described his friend as a man with an outgoing personality who was curious about various cultures and traditions.

“Mike was one-of-a-kind, a stand-up guy, the type of friend that was by my side during the most difficult time of my life, when I lost my father,” Ibrahim remembers. “Every culture mourns in their own unique way, and in my Islamic faith, we gather at the home every evening for a few weeks.

“Imagine a hundred-plus relatives and friends gathering in my home every night for nearly a month, to help with our grief and to help us celebrate my father’s life. I was touched that he showed

Kelly “Kels” Carnes won a tournament held in Michael’s honor.

up a few times at my home, and that he embraced my family and our traditions.”

A LIFE’S WORK

Michael took tremendous pride in his work, and so did Laura.

“I used to joke around and say, I’m not single but I’m really not part of a couple either, because Michael was so dedicated,” she says. “He would be out the door by 8 in the morning and there were nights where I would give him dinner and he’d fall asleep at 11 o’clock at night with his dinner sitting on his stomach while he was watching TV. He was so dedicated and worked so hard and long. Six days a week he worked like that.”

His commitment to the highest standards of quality was essential to the success of the many stores to which he lent his expertise and service.

“You can sell as much as you want, but if you don’t have someone at the other end, delivering and setting that table up in the proper manner, you’re done,” Matera says. “And that’s what Michael brought to these businesses. He did so much more than just install, he knew everything. There were companies calling him about older tables, so many companies. They’d call and ask, ‘Hey Mike, did you ever do this? Did you ever install this kind of table?’ It was amazing.”

And throughout all those years in the billiard business, he made countless friends with people across the nation.

“Everybody knew Michael,” Matera says. “He went to all the BCA trade shows, everybody knew him, everybody knew who he was. He was just so outgoing, he would talk to everybody – we spent hours in each booth, and he just knew how to work it. He was very, very well respected in the industry. You could pretty much ask anybody about him and they’ll know who he is.”

Another thing he loved about attending BCA Expos was getting the chance to meet and catch up with his fellow billiard professionals in person.

“Some of our best pictures were from the trade shows,” Matera says. “We have some great photographs together over the years, especially in Vegas. It seemed every other year, the trade shows went to Vegas, so we went there the most.”

A LIFE TOGETHER

Laura and Michael’s love story started in 1986, when Laura was the manager of a bank in the Philadelphia area. And the tale of how they first met sounds like something out of a charming romantic comedy.

“He was one of those customers that walked into a bank at one minute of closing on Christmas Eve Day – that was my Michael,” Matera says. “He was a cutie, so all my tellers, they absolutely loved him and melted all over him. And that’s how we met – one minute of closing on Christmas Eve Day at my bank.”

Another Christmas memory Laura has of her husband was when she decided to surprise him with the gift of a quality pool cue, and she spent about $300 on one, which she thought was a big deal.

“When Michael opened it for Christmas, he just kind of looked it and said, ‘Ah thanks,’” Matera says. “Little did I know that a really good pool cue will run you a couple of thousand dollars. I was like, ‘Oh, you can use this as your break cue.’”

When it is pointed out to Laura that the idea of giving her husband a cue as a Christmas present was a lovely thought, she replies with a laugh, “Yes. It was a naïve, lovely thought on my part.”

REMEMBERING THE MAN

She describes her husband as an incredibly generous man who loved his family and worked tremendously hard. And Philly remained close to his heart, though for some reason, he wasn’t a fan of his home city’s sports teams.

“Michael loved talking sports – and I love Mike – but one thing that bothered me was his hate for the Eagles and other Philadelphia sports teams,” Ibrahim said in his eulogy. “I didn’t let that get to me as I was the first person to call Mike when the Eagles finally won the Super Bowl! We argued for weeks about the officiating and the outcome of the game.”

Laura has even “challenged” Michael’s friends in the City of Brotherly Love to hold a tournament and top the fundraising accomplishments of Michael’s Florida teammates.

She has so many wonderful and joyous memories of Michael, but the sadness of losing him is inescapable, as she talked about their life in Florida.

“Everybody loved him,” she says. “We’d only been down here for three years and it’s like these people knew him forever.”

There are also reminders. Michael and Laura were in the middle of a massive home construction project, turning their garage into a billiard room while adding a garage and workshop on the back of their property. “Unfortunately, his pool table is still in pieces, all quilted up in my living room, waiting for him and the room to be finished,” Laura says.

She will miss her husband, of course, as will so many other people, including countless members of the billiard community. And Michael J. Repici will always be remembered for his kindness and dedication.

And now, he will always be remembered for the scholarship that bears his name, and which will encourage the talents of young girls who play the game of pool.

Donations to the Michael J. Repici Memorial Scholarship can be sent directly to: Billiard Education Foundation c/o Billiard Congress of America, 500 Discover Parkway, Suite 125, Superior, CO, 80027. For more information go www.billiardeducation.org.

Michael's niece Alyssa Repici; wife Laurea Matera; great-niece and Nicolina Boggi