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Welker Cochran (October 7, 1897 – July 26, 1960) was an American professional
on Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 8 July 2012. He won his first world title in 1927 in 18.2 balkline. The popularity of balkline faded in the late 1920s and early 1930s, causing Cochran to switch to three-cushion, in which he won his first world title in 1933. In 1945, Cochran set a new world record (now surpassed) by achieving a game average of 3 (60 points in 20 innings) in a match he won against
Congress of America
Retrieved 8 July 2012.
Photo of Announcement Board
15. April 1945 at Bensinger's Billiard Academy in Chicago.
Photo of Welker Cochran at the game
Welker Cochran (October 7, 1897 – July 26, 1960) was an American professional carom billiards
Carom billiards, sometimes called carambole billiards, is the overarching title of a family of cue sports generally played on cloth-covered, billiard tables. In its simplest form, the object of the game is to score or "counts" by ' one's o ...
player who won world titles in two different disciplines, balkline
Balkline is the overarching title of a group of carom billiards games generally played with two and a red on a -covered, 5 foot × 10 foot, billiard table. The object of the game is to score points, also called ''counts'', by a play ...
and three-cushion billiards
Three-cushion billiards, also called three-cushion carom, is a form of carom billiards. The object of the game is to the off both while contacting the at least three times before contacting the second object ball. A point is scored for each su ...
.
Biography
He was born inDes Moines, Iowa
Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...
, but moved to Manson early. He began playing at a young age in a billiards parlor owned by his father in Manson, and by the age of 17 was among the best players in the world.Biography with Photoon Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 8 July 2012. He won his first world title in 1927 in 18.2 balkline. The popularity of balkline faded in the late 1920s and early 1930s, causing Cochran to switch to three-cushion, in which he won his first world title in 1933. In 1945, Cochran set a new world record (now surpassed) by achieving a game average of 3 (60 points in 20 innings) in a match he won against
Willie Hoppe
William Frederick Hoppe (October 11, 1887 – February 1, 1959) (surname rhymes with "poppy"), was an internationally renowned American professional carom billiards champion, who was posthumously inducted into the Billiard Congress of America H ...
. He retired from serious competition in 1946 due to arthritis, but did make a comeback attempt in 1954.
He died on July 26, 1960 in Belmont, California
Belmont is a city in San Mateo County in the U.S. state of California. It is in the San Francisco Bay Area, on the San Francisco Peninsula about halfway between San Francisco and San Jose. Known for its wooded hills, views of the San Francisco ...
.
Legacy
Cochran was inducted posthumously into theBilliard Congress of America
The Billiard Congress of America (BCA) is the governing body for cue sports in the United States and Canada, and the regional member organization of the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA).` Puerto Rico, though a US territory, and Mexico, though ...
's Hall of Fame
A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...
in 1967.Retrieved 8 July 2012.
Titles and tournament wins
*World 18.2 Balkline Champion (1927, 1934) * World Three-Cushion Champion (1933, 1935-1936, 1944-1945)References
External links
Photo of Announcement Board
15. April 1945 at Bensinger's Billiard Academy in Chicago.
Photo of Welker Cochran at the game
Further reading
* Robert Byrne, ''Byrne's Wonderful World of Pool and Billiards: A Cornucopia of Instruction, Strategy, Anecdote, and Colorful Characters'', 1996 American carom billiards players 1897 births 1960 deaths World champions in carom billiards {{billiards-bio-stub