Willie Hoppe facts for kids
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William Frederick Hoppe (born October 11, 1887 – died February 1, 1959) was a super famous American professional billiards champion. His last name sounds like "poppy." Many people think Hoppe was one of the best billiards players ever. After he passed away, he was added to the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame in 1966.
About Willie Hoppe
Willie Hoppe was born in Cornwall on Hudson, New York, on October 11, 1887. He became a champion in billiards. He won an amazing 51 world titles between 1906 and 1952. These titles were in different types of carom billiards. Some of these types included three-cushion, balkline, and one-cushion caroms. He passed away on February 1, 1959, in Miami, Florida. He is buried in Whitemarsh Cemetery in Ambler, Pennsylvania.
Willie Hoppe's Amazing Career
Willie Hoppe won 51 world titles over many years, from 1906 to 1952. He was also known for his incredibly long "runs." A run is when a player scores many points in a row without missing. For example, he once scored 2,000 points in a row in straight rail billiards! He also scored 622 points in 18.2 balkline. In three-cushion billiards, he made a run of 25 points. He even set a world record for his average score in a tournament, which was 1.333 points per shot.
Hoppe wrote his first book, Thirty Years of Billiards, in 1925. Later, in 1941, he wrote another book called Billiards As It Should Be Played. Hoppe had a special way of hitting the cue ball. This was because he started playing as a child. He was so small he had to stand on a box to reach the table! In his book, he told other players not to copy his unique style.
After winning his last world title in 1952, Hoppe stopped playing in big competitions. He became a "goodwill ambassador" for billiards. This meant he traveled around and put on special shows. He even performed for President William Taft at the White House in 1911. He might be the only billiards player to ever do that! Billiards Digest magazine ranked him as the number one greatest player of the 20th century.
Major Wins and Titles
Willie Hoppe won many important championships during his career:
- World 18.1 Balkline Championship (1906, 1908-1911, 1914-1927)
- World 18.2 Balkline Championship (1907, 1910-1920, 1923, 1924, 1927)
- World Three-Cushion Championship (1936, 1940-1944, 1946-1952)
See also
In Spanish: Willie Hoppe para niños
