Allen Hopkins
Born (1951-11-18) 18 November 1951
Elizabeth, New Jersey
Sport country United States
Nickname"Young Hoppe"
Professional1971
Best finishQuarter finals 1990 WPA World Nine-ball Championship
Tournament wins
Other titles50
World ChampionStraight Pool (1977)

Allen Hopkins (born November 18, 1951) is an American professional pocket billiards (pool) player, professional billiards color commentator and BCA Hall of Fame inductee. He promotes multiple annual pool events and still competes as a professional contender.

Early life

Allen Hopkins was born November 18, 1951, in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and was raised in the small suburban town of Cranford, New Jersey by adoptive parents Paul and Marietta Hopkins.

Amateur days

At seven years old, after watching many tournaments on television, Allen began to play pool on a small table his parents bought for him. As an amateur, at the age of 12, Hopkins ran a prodigious 110 balls and took this talent to play against grown men.

Pool career

Hopkins' professional career began in the 1970s and spans over four decades. He co-founded and served on the board the now-defunct Professional Pool Players Association (PPPA),[1] as well as president of the Professional Billiard Association (PBA).

At the 1979 PPPA World Open 14.1 Pocket Billiard Championship in New York City, New York, Hopkins posted the largest victory margin in the event, defeating Richie Florence, 150-1.[2]

Allen Hopkins has earned titles in such varied events as the 1977 World Straight Pool Championship, the 1978 and 1981 U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships,[3] the 1990 Cleveland Open 10-Ball Classic and the 1991 Legends of One-Pocket event.

In both 1986 and 1987, Hopkins was the All Japan Championship all around champion.[4]

In 1993, he saw victory in the International Challenge of Champions.[5]

Allen Hopkins has a high run of 410 in straight pool (14.1 continuous),[6][7] and has run 15-and-out three times, in the game of one-pocket.[7]

In 2002, Hopkins triumphed in the Denver Ten-ball Open, defeating Earl Strickland, Filipino champion Jose Parica, Corey Deuel, David Matlock, and faced Shannon Daulton in a thrilling double-hill finals.[8]

In 2008, he was inducted to the BCA Hall of Fame by the Billiard Congress of America.[9]

Titles

Sportscasting and event promotion

Allen Hopkins Productions started the Super Billiards Expo, each year held in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, which has since become the biggest consumer-oriented trade show in the Billiards industry trade show in the world, with multiple tournaments for amateur, seniors, women and men professional player levels.[10]

He has combined efforts with Billiards International and promoted pocket billiards exhibitions like the Skins Billiards Championship, the Texas Hold'em Billiards Championship, and two short-lived competitions, the Million Dollar Nine-Ball Shootout,[11] and (with business partner Mike Andrews) the Team DMIRO tour.

References

  1. ↑ DelNagro, Mike. "Money out of their own pockets". Sports Illustrated Vault | SI.com. Retrieved 2020-11-15.
  2. ↑ "About Those Tournament Stats," by Bruce Venzke, page 14, The National Billiard News, November 1979. Retrieved May 18, 2007
  3. ↑ "History of Billiards Chronology/Timeline". www.thehypertexts.com. Retrieved 2020-11-15.
  4. ↑ "4th Annual 14.1 Straight Pool Hall of Fame Banquet". Professor Q Ball's National Pool & Billiard News. Retrieved 2020-11-16.
  5. ↑ Allen Hopkins Player Profile Archived 2007-04-02 at the Wayback Machine, IPT Member Allen Hopkins Player Profile, InternationalPoolTour.com. Retrieved May 20, 2007
  6. ↑ FSN New York broadcast of 2007 Texas Hold 'Em shootout, final round (February 12, 2007). Allen Hopkins states his own high run as 410 balls.
  7. 1 2 "Player Profiles," by Elaine Smith, John Lewis, and Suzanne Weinstock, The Snap magazine, page 34, March/April 1991, OTS Publications, a division of Billiard Enterprises of Florida
  8. ↑ "Q&A with Allen Hopkins" Archived 2007-10-08 at the Wayback Machine by Missy Capestrain and Brian Halter, 8ball.org. Retrieved May 20, 2007
  9. ↑ "Hall of Fame Inductees, 2002-2010". Billiard Congress of America. Archived from the original on 2018-07-13.
  10. ↑ Super Billiards Expo
  11. ↑ Million Dollar Nine-Ball Shootout official website. Retrieved May 20, 2007. Archived August 24, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
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