Quick Facts about Rudolf Walter Wanderone

American billiards professional Rudolf Walter Wanderone was also known as Minnesota Fats or New York Fats. “Fats” was once the most well-known pool player in the United States, not just as a player but also as an entertainer, despite the fact that he never took first place in a major pool event. Similar to Rudolf, who began playing as a young child in New York City. Additionally, when he was younger, he started out as a traveling pool hustler.

How much is the net worth of Rudolf Walter Wanderone?

Rudolf Walter Wanderone did not participate in any tournaments or win any major pool championships because he was too busy hustle. He did, however engage in and take part in a variety of activities, including writing books and participating in television programs. According to Billiard Guides, Rudolf Wanderone’s net worth is pegged at $1 million.

Rudolf Wanderone’s Childhood

Rudolf Wanderone was born to Swiss immigrants Rosa and Rudolf Wanderone in New York City. Although he claimed he could have been born as early as 1900, he was actually born in 1913. Wanderone began playing pool as a young child while growing up in Washington Heights, Manhattan, and is frequently referred to as “Rudy” by friends and family.

Similar to this, in 1923 he traveled to Europe with his father and trained under German pool champion Erich Hagenlocher. Wanderone received pool champion preparation before his first important match, which he defeated “Cowboy” Weston, the former nine-ball champion, in 1926. The American-born individual also quit school in the eighth grade to focus on a career as a traveling pool hustler.

He also spent the most of the 1920s at Cranfield’s in New York City, where he defeated “Smart Henry,” another hustler, to receive his first name. By the middle of the 1930s, Wanderone had taken over management of a pool club operated by a friend in Anacostia, Southeast Washington, D.C. As a result, he gained several new nicknames, including “Triple-Smart Fats,” “New York Fats,” “Broadway Fats,” and “Chicago Fats.”

A Summary of the Books and Shows of Rudolf Wanderone

Wanderone became the executive vice president of the manufacturer of pool tables Rozel Industries thanks to his renown as “Minnesota Fats” He displayed the goods and played exhibition matches there. In a similar vein, Rozel published his first book, Minnesota “Fats” Book of Billiards, in 1965. On January 17, 1965, he took part in the television game show What’s My Line? and managed to fool the judges.

Likewise, he worked on his autobiography, The Bank Shot and Other Great Robberies, in 1966 with Sports Illustrated reporter Tom Fox. His first television game show, Minnesota Fats Hustles the Pros, which debuted in 1967 and featured “Fats” competing against other professional athletes, was similarly titled that way.

He wrote and published the instruction paperback “Minnesota Fats on Pool” in 1967. On January 24, 1968, Wanderone made an appearance on The Joey Bishop Show. In 1970, he competed against celebrity guest Sid Caesar on the ill-fated television game show “Celebrity Billiards with Minnesota Fats.” Later, Wanderone adopted the alter ego “Minnesota Fats” and was remarkably depicted on the promotional poster for the motion picture “The Player.”

By 1979, he gained notoriety under the moniker “Rudy” and was cast as a famous guest star in the episode “the Usurper” of the hit television detective series Vega$. In recognition of his efforts to popularize pool, he was inducted into the Billiard Congress of America’s Hall of Fame in 1984 for “Meritorious Service.”

competition with Willie Mosconi

The competition between Wanderone and world champion Willie Mosconi over whether pool should be depicted as a rough-and-tumble gambling game or an elegant pastime was promoted with relish. Similar to that, the two competed in a televised match on ABC’s Wide World of Sports on February 14, 1978, Valentine’s Day. With almost 11 million spectators, the game ranked second in terms of ratings for the year, only behind the rematch between Muhammad Ali and Leon Spinks. The game’s host, the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York, Howard Cosell, gave the opening remarks.

Wanderone entertained the crowd with his banter and humorous temperament despite the fact that he may have lost the game. On the other hand, Mosconi was perceived as a cold character. “Fats” lost a number of rematches against Mosconi in the years that followed. Wanderone’s final major television performance was the nationally broadcast Resorts International Shoot-Out in October 1984, where he ultimately triumphed over his adversary. In addition, Wanderone, Mosconi, Steve Mizerak, and Allen Hopkins engaged in a trick shot challenge to start the match.

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Mrs. Rudolf Wanderone

A significant hub for hustlers on the fast track to televised tournament participation, Du Quoin, Illinois, was where Wanderone and his companion Jimmy Castras relocated in 1941. On May 7, 1941, he met Evelyn Inez Graff, whom he married two months later. After being married, the Wanderones later relocated to Dowell, Illinois. In 1942, the couple finally moved to Norfolk, Virginia.

But in 1984, he deserted his wife Evelyn, and a year later, they were divorced. Wanderone moved for a number of years to the Hermitage Hotel in the heart of Nashville, Tennessee, in 1985. Later, in 1992, while having surgery for a knee problem, he suffered a serious heart attack, but he pulled through. In 1993, he wed Teresa Talley Bell, who would become his second wife. Wanderone was aware that he was an only child.

The singer Etta James, who described her mother and other people who knew her as “those who were there and should know,” said she believed he was her biological father after learning this information from them. Despite all of that there is no evidence to support such a connection. Only one event in 1987 is known to have taken place: a meeting between James and Wanderone.

He passed away in Bell’s Nashville home on January 15, 1996, four days before his 83rd birthday and a lot of other publications like The New York Times, gave the wrong date for his passing: January 18.