His nickname, "Machine Gun Lou", derives from his stunning the crowd and fellow competitors by running 150-and-out in straight pool in under 25 minutes against his opponents.

[1] He gained exposure to the masses in 1981 and 1982 when he appeared in network trick shot competitions on CBS and ABC.

His father, who owned a billiard room, had Lou come directly to the business after school each day.

Lou earned his famous nickname, from setting the world record for fastest run out, in an exhibition against Luther Lassiter he ran 150 balls in straight pool in just 19 minutes.

In a profile that appeared in the May/June, 1995 issue of Snap Magazine, he was referred to as "...the man who may be the fastest pool player the game has ever known."