Steve **The Miz** Mizerak was the bridge between the post-Mosconi straight-pool era and the modern nine-ball game. A four-time US Open Straight Pool champion (1970-1973), he was the dominant straight-pool tournament player of the early 1970s.
Mizerak became a household name in 1981 when his Miller Lite **"Just showing off"** commercial — in which he calmly sinks four balls on the break — reached prime-time television. The 30-second spot is regarded as the single most successful cue-sports advertisement ever produced.
He was inducted into the BCA Hall of Fame in 1980 and continued to play, commentate, and run his namesake amateur tour until his death in 2006.