william joseph mosconi (; june 27, 1913 – september 12, 1993) was an american professional pool (pocket billiards) player from philadelphia, pennsylvania. he is best known as willie mosconi. between 1941 and 1957, he won the world straight pool championship 15 times--more than any other player. he was one the first people to become a member of the billiard congress of america hall of fame. mosconi created many trick shots that he used often. he set many records and helped make pool a popular recreation activity.