Ralph Greenleaf
Encyclopedia
Ralph Greenleaf was an American
professional pool
and carom billiards player, a twenty-time World Pocket Billiards Champion, whose ability and charisma dominated the sport during his heyday.
His obituary
in The New York Times
said of Greenleaf, in March 1950: "What Babe Ruth did for baseball, Dempsey did for fighting, Tilden did for tennis...Greenleaf did for pocket billiards."
The championships of his era were contested in the game of 14.1 continuous
("straight pool"), but varied in format from contest to contest and were not annual events. Championships were challenge matches between two players often played over several days to relatively high numbers (1,500 for example).
He was one of the first three members inducted into the Billiard Congress of America
's Hall of Fame, in 1966.
actress Amelia Ruth Parker, a Eurasian
known by the stage name
s "Princess Nai Tai" and "The Oriental Nightingale", with whom he tourned, performing trick shot
demonstrations when not competing.
In a pool championship match, Greenleaf was a fierce competitor, winning his first world title in 1919, as well as others, off and on, through 1937. His only unbeatable enemy was considered the bottle, though even his worst bouts rarely seemed to interfere with his performance. In 1942, he came in third place, behind Willie Hoppe
and Welker Cochran
in a World Championship Three-cushion billiards
match.
During this era, the press used euphemisms like "playboy" for sports idols and other public figures who, like Greenleaf, suffered from severe alcoholism. In 1935, the media reported that Greenleaf "fell off the wagon" when he vanished just before a crucial tournament in New York and woke up in Oklahoma under arrest as a vagrant. In order for him to be released, he had to prove to the constable his identity by walking across the street to a pool hall located in front of the jailhouse in Okmulgee by running 87 balls consecutively. Another distinction of this era in the 1930s is that pool games were traditionally played on billiards table
s that were 5 feet by 10 feet, as opposed to today's professional standards which have tables that are 4.5 ft × 9 ft, and the (often clay or ivory) balls were bigger than today's synthetic plastic and resin pool balls
.
Greenleaf had a hobby that he took seriously which was raising turkeys and chickens at his farm on the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland, in which he made a profit. His last championship title was in 1937 when he defeated Irving Crane
by a score of 125 to minus one.
He died suddenly at the age of 50 from acute internal hemorrhage in the waiting room of a hospital in Philadelphia. He had been ill for several days, but had refused to seek medical treatment by going to a hospital because of an upcoming match he was to have played in New York, scheduled several days after he passed.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional pool
Pocket billiards
Pool, also more formally known as pocket billiards or pool billiards , is the family of cue sports and games played on a pool table having six receptacles called pockets along the , into which balls are deposited as the main goal of play. Popular versions include eight-ball and nine-ball...
and carom billiards player, a twenty-time World Pocket Billiards Champion, whose ability and charisma dominated the sport during his heyday.
His obituary
Obituary
An obituary is a news article that reports the recent death of a person, typically along with an account of the person's life and information about the upcoming funeral. In large cities and larger newspapers, obituaries are written only for people considered significant...
in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
said of Greenleaf, in March 1950: "What Babe Ruth did for baseball, Dempsey did for fighting, Tilden did for tennis...Greenleaf did for pocket billiards."
The championships of his era were contested in the game of 14.1 continuous
Straight Pool
Straight pool, also called 14.1 continuous or simply 14.1, is a pocket billiards game, and was the common sport of championship competition until overtaken by faster-playing games like nine-ball...
("straight pool"), but varied in format from contest to contest and were not annual events. Championships were challenge matches between two players often played over several days to relatively high numbers (1,500 for example).
He was one of the first three members inducted into the Billiard Congress of America
Billiard Congress of America
Billiard Congress of America is a governing body for cue sports in North America , the regional member organization of the World Pool-Billiard Association...
's Hall of Fame, in 1966.
Biography
Greenleaf married vaudevilleVaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
actress Amelia Ruth Parker, a Eurasian
Eurasian (mixed ancestry)
The word Eurasian refers to people of mixed Asian and European ancestry. It was originally coined in 19th-century British India to refer to Anglo-Indians of mixed British and Indian descent....
known by the stage name
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
s "Princess Nai Tai" and "The Oriental Nightingale", with whom he tourned, performing trick shot
Trick shot
A trick shot is a shot played on a billiards table , which seems unlikely, impossible, or requires significant skill...
demonstrations when not competing.
In a pool championship match, Greenleaf was a fierce competitor, winning his first world title in 1919, as well as others, off and on, through 1937. His only unbeatable enemy was considered the bottle, though even his worst bouts rarely seemed to interfere with his performance. In 1942, he came in third place, behind Willie Hoppe
Willie Hoppe
William Frederick Hoppe , known predominantly as Willie Hoppe , was an internationally renowned American professional carom billiards champion, who was posthumously inducted into the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame in 1966.-Biography:Hoppe was born in Cornwall on Hudson, New York on...
and Welker Cochran
Welker Cochran
Welker Cochran was an American professional carom billiards player who won world titles in two different disciplines, balkline and three-cushion billiards.-Biography:He was born in Manson, Iowa...
in a World Championship Three-cushion billiards
Three-cushion billiards
Three-cushion billiards is a form of carom billiards, and one of the most popular and challenging cue sports in the world.The object of the game is to the off both and contact the at least 3...
match.
During this era, the press used euphemisms like "playboy" for sports idols and other public figures who, like Greenleaf, suffered from severe alcoholism. In 1935, the media reported that Greenleaf "fell off the wagon" when he vanished just before a crucial tournament in New York and woke up in Oklahoma under arrest as a vagrant. In order for him to be released, he had to prove to the constable his identity by walking across the street to a pool hall located in front of the jailhouse in Okmulgee by running 87 balls consecutively. Another distinction of this era in the 1930s is that pool games were traditionally played on billiards table
Billiards table
A billiard table or billiards table is a bounded table on which billiards-type games are played. In the modern era, all billiards tables provide a flat surface usually made of quarried slate, that is covered with cloth and surrounded by vulcanized rubber cushions, with the whole elevated above...
s that were 5 feet by 10 feet, as opposed to today's professional standards which have tables that are 4.5 ft × 9 ft, and the (often clay or ivory) balls were bigger than today's synthetic plastic and resin pool balls
Billiard ball
A billiard ball is a small, hard ball used in cue sports, such as carom billiards, pool, and snooker. The number, type, diameter, color, and pattern of the balls differ depending upon the specific game being played...
.
Greenleaf had a hobby that he took seriously which was raising turkeys and chickens at his farm on the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland, in which he made a profit. His last championship title was in 1937 when he defeated Irving Crane
Irving Crane
Irving Crane , nicknamed "the Deacon", was an American pool player from Livonia , New York, and ranks among the stellar players in the history of the sport...
by a score of 125 to minus one.
He died suddenly at the age of 50 from acute internal hemorrhage in the waiting room of a hospital in Philadelphia. He had been ill for several days, but had refused to seek medical treatment by going to a hospital because of an upcoming match he was to have played in New York, scheduled several days after he passed.
World Pocket Billiards Championship titles
- 1919 (December) vs. Bennie Allen
- 1920 (November) vs. Arthur Woods
- 1921 (October) vs. Arthur Woods
- 1921 (December) vs. Arthur Woods
- 1922 (February) vs. Thomas Hueston
- 1922 (May) vs. Walter Franklin
- 1922 (October) vs. Bennie Allen
- 1922 (December) vs. Arthur Church
- 1923 (January) vs. Thomas Hueston
- 1924 (April) vs. Bennie Allen
- 1926 (November) vs. Erwin RudolphErwin RudolphErwin Rudolph was an American pocket billiards player from Cleveland, Ohio and a four-time world champion. One of his great feats was running 125 points in 32 minutes .-Biography:...
- 1928 (March) vs. Frank TaberskiFrank TaberskiFrank Taberski was a professional pocket billiards champion from Schenectady, New York. He won 10 consecutive challenge matches. He was inducted into the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame in 1975.-Biography:He was born in 1899...
- 1928 (May) vs. Andrew St. Jean
- 1929 (December) vs. Erwin Rudolph
- 1931 (December) vs. George Kelly
- 1932 (December) vs. Jimmy Caras
- 1933 (May) vs. Andrew Ponzi
- 1937 (April) vs. Andrew Ponzi
- 1937 (November) vs. Irving CraneIrving CraneIrving Crane , nicknamed "the Deacon", was an American pool player from Livonia , New York, and ranks among the stellar players in the history of the sport...
- 1937 (December) vs. Irving Crane