Rudolph Wanderone Jr.

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Rudolph Walter Wanderone Jr. (January 19, 1913(?) - January 15, 1996), best known as Minnesota Fats, was perhaps the best known pool player in the United States, in spite of the fact that he never won a single major pool tournament.

Wanderone was born in New York to Rosa and Rudolph Wanderone, Swiss immigrants.^[1] He was usually assigned 1913 as the year of his birth, but his obituary in the New York Times indicated that he may have been born prior to this year, perhaps by more than a decade, though it was impossible for the paper to confirm.

He named himself Minnesota Fats after the character in the movie The Hustler. He even went as far as to tell people that the character in the movie was based on him (claiming that he had previously had the nickname New York Fats). Walter Tevis, the author of the book, denied this. Fast Eddie Parker, who provided much of the factual material for the book, said he told Tevis about Wanderone and believed this was the inspiration for the novel's Minnesota Fats. Ironically, Willie Mosconi, the technical advisor for the film and one of the best players in the country, helped make Wanderone's "Minnesota Fats" as famous as the movie's.

Wanderone started playing pool as a child. He became a traveling pool hustler. Using the name "Minnesota Fats", he gained enough attention to star in a TV show in which he would play against Willie Mosconi. Mosconi beat Minnesota Fats in the games. For a few years, there were rematches on TV with Wanderone and Mosconi in which Mosconi beat Wanderone without much trouble. These proved to be popular with television audiences, and may also have contributed to his fame. The Billiard Congress of America inducted him into its Hall of Fame for recognition of his contributions to bringing popularity to the game of pool.

Singer Etta James has alleged that Fats is her father.

Wanderone lived for eight years in the Hermitage Hotel in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, and regularly challenged the hotel's guests and staff to pool matches at his table, which was set up in a mezzanine overlooking 6th Avenue. He also called Dowell, IL his home (http://egyptianaaa.org/SI-MinnesotaFats.htm).

He appeared on What's My Line? in the '60s, successfully stumping the panel.

[edit] Footnotes

[edit] References- Books/DVDs

• Billiards: The Official Rules and Records Book 1992
• Billiard Digest, Vol 16, No. 2
• "Minnesota Fats" On Pool, 1965
• How to Play Pool (with Minnesota Fats), Warner Home Video, 1998 ASIN: 6301649893