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William Frederick Hoppe (October 11, 1887 – February 1, 1959) (surname rhymes with "poppy"), was an internationally renowned
Hoppe won 51 world titles between 1906 and 1952. He was also known for various long-standing high , including scoring 2,000 contiguous points in
Willie Hoppe bio at BilliardsForum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoppe, Willie American carom billiards players 1887 births 1959 deaths Three-cushion billiards players World champions in carom billiards People from Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York
William Frederick Hoppe (October 11, 1887 – February 1, 1959) (surname rhymes with "poppy"), was an internationally renowned American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
professional carom billiards champion, who was posthumously inducted into the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame in 1966
Events January
* January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko.
* January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...
.
Biography
Hoppe was born inCornwall on Hudson, New York
Cornwall-on-Hudson is a riverfront village in the town of Cornwall, Orange County, New York, United States. It lies on the west bank of the Hudson River, approximately north of New York City.
The population as of the 2010 census was 3,018. It ...
on October 11, 1887. He won 51 world titles between 1906 and 1952, in three forms of carom billiards: three-cushion
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 ...
, (four sub-disciplines of) balkline and one-cushion caroms. He died on February 1, 1959 in Miami, Florida
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
.
He is buried in Whitemarsh Cemetery in Ambler, Pa.
Professional career
Hoppe won 51 world titles between 1906 and 1952. He was also known for various long-standing high , including scoring 2,000 contiguous points in straight rail
Straight rail, also called straight billiards, three-ball billiards, or the free game, is a discipline of carom billiards that is the most basic form of the game. The game is played on a unmarked billiard table, usually in size, and three billia ...
, 622 points in 18.2 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 a run of 25 points in three-cushion
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 ...
. He once made a tournament average of 1.333, a world record at that time.
Hoppe published his first book, ''Thirty Years of Billiards'', in 1925, and followed this up many years later with the introductory work, ''Billiards As It Should Be Played'', in 1941. Hoppe's peculiar style of stroke was a result of his career as a child prodigy. He barely reached the table and had to stand on a box. In ''Billiards As It Should Be Played'' Hoppe emphatically advised players not to use his way of directing the cue.
After winning the world title in 1952, Hoppe retired from title play and became a goodwill ambassador for the sport by conducting a series of exhibition matches. Hoppe may have been the only billiards player to ever put on an exhibition in the White House. He performed before President William Taft in 1911.
He was ranked number 1 on the ''Billiards Digest 50 Greatest Players of the Century''.
Titles and tournament wins
*World 18.1 Balkline Champion (1906, 1908-1911, 1914-1927) *World18.2 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 ...
Champion (1907, 1910-1920, 1923, 1924, 1927)
* World Three-Cushion Champion (1936, 1940-1944, 1946-1952)
References
External links
Willie Hoppe bio at BilliardsForum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoppe, Willie American carom billiards players 1887 births 1959 deaths Three-cushion billiards players World champions in carom billiards People from Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York