Minnesota Fats
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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 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.
Wanderone started playing pool as a child, and 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 one of the best pool players in the country, 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 contribute 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.
References
- Billiards: The Official Rules and Records Book 1992
- Billiard Digest, Vol 16, No. 2