In his first pro event, the 1994 Super Billiards Expo in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, he finished third, knocked out by the ultimate winner, dominant pro Mike Sigel with a score of 9 to 8.
He was also the technical advisor, instructor, and sports choreographer for the shots made by Paul Newman and Tom Cruise in the Academy Award-winning film The Color of Money.
Various real-life notable professional players made cameo appearances, including Lou Butera, Willie Mosconi, Steve Mizerak, Mike Sigel and Jimmy Mataya.
In the early '70s, Crane returned to North Carolina and opened his own pool room in Asheville, which was an attraction for many of the top players in the country, i.e., Buddy Hall, Jim Rempe, Mike Sigel, and Allen Hopkins.
Mike Tyson | Mike Oldfield | Mike Harris | Mike Nattrass | Mike Leigh | Mike Watt | Mike Mignola | Mike Gordon | Mike | Mike Nichols | Mike Rutherford | Mike Wallace | Mike Stern | Mike Huckabee | Mike Ditka | Mike Figgis | Mike Rowe | Mike Reid | Mike Portnoy | Mike Piazza | Mike Mills | Mike Varney | Mike Mansfield | Mike Easley | Mike Douglas | Mike Wallace (journalist) | Mike Viola | Mike Howlett | Mike Curb | Mike Chapman |
At the Lexington All Star 9-Ball Championship in 1994, Jimmy Reid was voted as the "Best Money Player in the World for the previous 25 years," from 1969 to 1994 by his peers, Johnny Archer, Francisco Bustamante, Wade Crane, Kim Davenport, Roger Griffis, Buddy Hall, Allen Hopkins, Bob Ogburn, Efren Reyes, Mike Sigel, Earl Strickland, Nick Varner, and C.J. Wiley, who were some of the competitors present at this event.