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"Minnesota Fats" On Pool, 1965

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 nicknamed himself "Minnesota Fats"' after the fictitious character in the movie The Hustler.^[2] 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 Fatty). 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 unquestionably the greatest pool player of all time, helped make Wanderone's "Minnesota Fats" as famous as the movie's.

A watercolor of Wanderone, by the Birkbeck Twins

Wanderone started playing pool as a child. He became a traveling pool hustler. He is remembered for saying, "Boys, the only difference between me and everybody else is that everybody else drives around in a Volkswagen, and Minnesota Fats drives around in a Duesenberg," when departing pool rooms in his travels.^[3] Wanderone would go anywhere to help the game, and he was a crowd-pleaser.^[4]

As "Minnesota Fats", he gained enough attention to appear in a televised exhibition match against Willie Mosconi. Mosconi beat Wanderone 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. He appeared on What's My Line? in the 1960s, successfully stumping the panel.

Wanderone, with his hustler persona, enjoyed promoting the so-called "feud" with the reserved Mosconi. He would publicly state, "I may have 'given away' a few games to deserving competitiors, but I have never lost a real money game since I was old enough to spell 'Weeli Mesconi'". ^[5]

The flamboyant Wanderone once toured the country in a candied-apricot-over-carmel-plum Lincoln limo and had little trouble with identity recognition. His elongated nickname, "Minnesota Fats, King of Pool", on the side panels was done in transluscent paint which changed colors with reflections from the sun as it moved. In 1980, Wanderone had to double his order of autographed pictures after he was stopped 37 times in a one-mile stretch while visiting St. Louis.^[6]

Wanderone was notorious for his spontaneous wit. When he was named the "uncrowned king" because he never got actively involved in tournament circles, because he was too busy out hustling, his reply on his new title was: "You judge a king by the size of his wallet and his palace. You can leave the crown in the toilet." ^[7]

The Resorts International Shoot-Out in 1984, commentated by sports broadcaster John Madden, began with a trick shot competition between Wanderone, Mosconi, Steve Mizerak, and Allen Hopkins. The next event was Hopkins and Fats against Mosconi and Mizerak in seven-ball and nine-ball, but it was the next event that really made history. Wanderone and Mosconi came out of the gate with both barrels blazing in a one-on-one game of seven-ball, and Wanderone won the match. During an interview after the match, Wanderone was asked about his strategy to defeat Mosconi, and he replied, "I'll make [the 7 ball] on the break and end it...then I'll help carry Willie out on a stretcher." ^[8] Willie Mosconi blocked out Wanderone's chatter by wearing ear plugs during the exhibition, which didn't stop Wanderone from putting on a show for the fans.^[9]

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 Wanderone 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, Illinois his home. The epitaph on his tombstone reads: "Beat everybody living on Earth. Now, St. Peter, rack ’em up." ^[10]

• 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