Rudolf Wanderone Jr.

Rudolf Walter Wanderone (né Rudolf Walter Wanderon Jr.; January 19, 1913 – January 15, 1996), commonly known as Minnesota Fats, was an American professional pool player.

Although he never won a major pool tournament as "Fats", he was at one time perhaps the most publicly recognized pool player in the United States—not only as a player, but also as an entertainer.

One of three siblings (he had two sisters), Rudolf Jr. was born in 1913, but sometimes hinted he was born earlier, even as early as 1900.

Known as "Rudy" to friends and family, Wanderone started playing pool as a child while living in Washington Heights, Manhattan.

Wanderone left school in the eighth grade and became a traveling pool hustler, spending much of the 1920s playing at a pool hall called Cranfield's in New York City, where he received his first nickname after beating another hustler known as "Smart Henry".

The intensity of their competition led Wanderone's friend Titanic Thompson to dub Wanderone "Double-Smart".

In 1923, he traveled with his father to Europe, where he received training from German balkline billiards champion Erich Hagenlocher.

His first prominent match was in 1926, when he competed against former nine-ball champion "Cowboy" Weston; Wanderone won, handily.

By the mid-1930s, during the Great Depression, Wanderone had become a manager of a pool hall, owned by a friend, in Anacostia, southeast Washington, D.C. He had acquired more notoriety and nicknames, including "Triple-Smart Fats", "New York Fats", "Broadway Fats", and "Chicago Fats", attracting from other hustlers, including the then-unknown Luther "Wimpy" Lassiter.

In 1941, Wanderone and friend Jimmy Castras arrived in southern Illinois—a major hustling center on a fast track to televised tournament play—and settled in Du Quoin, Illinois, where he continued hustling.

Eventually, he met Evelyn Inez Graff; they married two months to the day later, on May 7, 1941.

Following their wedding, the Wanderones settled in Dowell, Illinois.

In 1942, the couple moved to Norfolk, Virginia.

Norfolk had become a key mustering point for American soldiers, as well as a shipbuilding center.

The growing population led to an enormous interest in gambling; Wanderone, in partnership with fellow hustler Lassiter, quickly recognized the financial possibilities.

Following World War II, however, the action soon "dried up", and the Wanderones returned to Little Egypt, Illinois.

Throughout the 1950s, Wanderone was in semi-retirement, making only occasional hustling trips to New York City.

Wanderone, who was sometimes known by the nickname "New York Fats" in his role as a pool player, adopted the name "Minnesota Fats" from the character of that name in the 1961 film The Hustler, claiming that the character, played by Jackie Gleason, was based upon him.

He parlayed the association with the film into his own book deals and television appearances, including a series of matches with rival Willie Mosconi.

Later in life, Wanderone divorced Evelyn and moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where he married his second wife, Theresa, with whom he remained until his death.

Wanderone was born in New York City to Rudolf Walter Wanderon and his wife, Rose ( Rosa Burgin); both Swiss immigrants who married in New York.

In 1961, the film version of Walter Tevis's novel The Hustler was released.

The film tells the story of a pool shark named "Fast Eddie" Felson and his quest to beat the greatest pool player in America, "Minnesota Fats".

World Champion Willie Mosconi served as a technical advisor and trick shot stunt man for the film.

Wanderone almost immediately dropped his "New York Fats" nickname, adopted the name "Minnesota Fats", and began spreading the story that the character was based on him.

Tevis denied this for the rest of his life.

However, Derek Kirunchyk examined the pages of Tevis' original manuscript and discovered that Tevis had changed the character's nickname from "New York" to "Minnesota" in one of the original manuscript pages, lending credence to Fats' claim that he was the inspiration for the character.

Wanderone's notoriety as "Minnesota Fats" led to a job as executive vice-president of billiard table manufacturer Rozel Industries, playing exhibition matches and giving demonstrations.

Rozel, in 1965, published Fats' first book: Minnesota "Fats" Book of Billiards.

On January 17, 1965, he appeared on the television game show What's My Line?, successfully stumping the panel.

In 1966, he wrote his autobiography, The Bank Shot, and Other Great Robberies, with Sports Illustrated journalist Tom Fox.

His first television game show, Minnesota Fats Hustles the Pros, debuted in 1967, featuring "Fats" playing against other pro players.

In 1967 he completed and published an instructional paperback, Minnesota Fats on Pool, which was reprinted through 1976 in large-quantity editions, was then reissued as a hardcover in 1993, and remains to this day commonly available.

The next year, on January 24, 1968, Fats was a guest on The Joey Bishop Show.

Wanderone was inducted in 1984 into the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame for his decades-long public promotion of pool.

Wanderone began playing at a young age in New York City.

As a teenager, he became a traveling pool hustler.

Later, in his thirties, he moved to Du Quoin, Illinois, where he met and married his first wife, Evelyn.

During World War II, he hustled servicemen in Norfolk, Virginia.

With the end of the war, Wanderone returned to Illinois and entered semi-retirement.