Jacob Schaefer Sr., circa 1880s
Signature of Jacob Schaefer

Jacob Schaefer Sr. (February 2, 1855[1] – March 8, 1910[2]), nicknamed "the Wizard", was a professional carom billiards player, especially of the straight rail and balkline games, and was posthumously inducted into the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame in 1968.[3]

Schaefer was born in 1855 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.[4] He was the first US-born son of German emigrants. He was the father of fellow billiards pro Jacob Schaefer Jr. (1894-1975).[3]

Schaefer first started playing billiards at the age of eleven,[5] at a billiard hall that was owned by his step-father John Berg.[4] At the time of the 1870 United States census, he was listed as "Jacob Berg", aged fifteen at Leavenworth, Kansas in the home of John Berg, who was a billiard hall owner.[6] He was the best player in Leavenworth by the age of fifteen.[7] Schaefer's debut as a professional player came in 1873.[8] Before May 1874, he had become the champion of Kansas.[9]

He became one of the world's top balkline players, to such an extent that some of the more challenging versions of balkline were invented to attempt to level the playing field against him. He won matches and titles around the world, including the March 11, 1908 World 18.1 Balkline Championship versus Willie Hoppe, although extremely ill, he won the match by 500 points to 423.[3] He died of tuberculosis in 1910 in Denver, Colorado.[10]


Titles

References

  1. ↑ Herringshaw, Thomas William (1888). The Biographical Review of Prominent Men and Women of the Day. Chicago: Home Publishing House. p. 131 – via Google Books. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  2. ↑ "Jacob Schaefer, Former Billiard Champion, Dead". Deseret Evening News. March 8, 1910. p. 1. Retrieved November 1, 2023 – via Google Books.
  3. 1 2 3 "Hall of Fame Inductees, 1966-68", Billiard Congress of America, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA; accessed February 3, 2007
  4. 1 2 "Jake Schaeffer Dies". The Observer. Vol. XXVII, no. 21. March 15, 1910. p. 2. Retrieved October 30, 2023 – via Google Books.
  5. ↑ "The Great Billiard Tourney". Chenago Semi-Weekly Telegraph. Vol. 62, no. 16. February 22, 1890. p. 1. Retrieved October 20, 2023 – via Google Books.
  6. ↑ "Jacob Berg, Leavenworth, Kansas, United States in United States Census, 1870 database". October 3, 2023. Retrieved October 30, 2023 – via FamilySearch.
  7. ↑ "Beaten By The Wizard". Free Press. February 21, 1890. p. 1. Retrieved October 30, 2023 – via Google Books.
  8. ↑ "Life Story of Jake Schaefer, Wizard of Billiards". The Sunday Vindicator. Vol. XXI, no. 190. March 13, 1910. p. 11. Retrieved November 1, 2023 – via Google Books.
  9. ↑ "Billiards". The St. Joseph Daily Gazette. No. 2798. May 7, 1874. p. 4. Retrieved October 30, 2023 – via Google Books.
  10. ↑ "Wizard Jake Schaefer Has Played Last Game". Arizona Journal-Miner. March 9, 1910. p. 1. Retrieved November 1, 2023 – via Google Books.
  11. ↑ "Jacob Schaefer The Billiard Champion of The World". The Genesee Democrat. Vol. XXXI, no. 32. February 15, 1879. p. 7. Retrieved November 1, 2023 – via Google Books.
  12. ↑ Garno, Benjamin (1908). Modern billiards. A complete text-book of the game, containing plain and practical instructions how to play and acquire skill at this scientific amusement. New York, Chicago etc: The Brunswick-Balke-Collender co. p. 254. Retrieved November 1, 2023 – via Internet Archive.
  13. ↑ "Slosson Was Nowhere. Too Easy Was The Billiard Match For Schaeffer". Youngstown Evening Vindicator. Vol. III, no. 103. January 23, 1892. p. 3. Retrieved November 1, 2023 – via Google Books.
  14. ↑ Garno, Benjamin (1908). Modern billiards. A complete text-book of the game, containing plain and practical instructions how to play and acquire skill at this scientific amusement. New York, Chicago etc: The Brunswick-Balke-Collender co. p. 285. Retrieved November 1, 2023 – via Internet Archive.
  15. ↑ Garno, Benjamin (1908). Modern billiards. A complete text-book of the game, containing plain and practical instructions how to play and acquire skill at this scientific amusement. New York, Chicago etc: The Brunswick-Balke-Collender co. p. 312. Retrieved November 1, 2023 – via Internet Archive.
  16. ↑ "American Jottings (From Our Own Correspondent)". The Sportsman. March 24, 1908. p. 6 – via British Newspaper Archive.
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