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Game Changers

the unsung heroines of sports history

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Dorothy Wise was an American professional pool player. She was born in Spokane, Washington. When she first started playing pool professionally, there were very few national tournaments for women. Known for her demure 5’2”, 110 pound frame, the silver haired widow and grandmother was focused on taking the gambling image away from pool and focusing on the family image of the game, as she liked to point out that millions of home across America are home to pool tables. Nicknamed named “Cool Hand Dorothy,” Wise credited her pool playing skills to her husband, Jimmy Wise, a billiard hall owner,  who encouraged her to pick up the game when she was 30 years old. She won many local and state tournaments, and due to a lack of a US Open pool championship for women, Wise declared herself the Women’s Title Winner for 15 years. The first national tournament for women happened in 1967. She won and kept winning for the next five years. She lost the title in 1972 at the age of 57 to a Jean Balukas, a 13 year old pool phenom. #Butchhistory

Dorothy Wise was an American professional pool player. She was born in Spokane, Washington. When she first started playing pool professionally, there were very few national tournaments for women. Known for her demure 5’2”, 110 pound frame, the silver haired widow and grandmother was focused on taking the gambling image away from pool and focusing on the family image of the game, as she liked to point out that millions of home across America are home to pool tables. Nicknamed named “Cool Hand Dorothy,” Wise credited her pool playing skills to her husband, Jimmy Wise, a billiard hall owner, who encouraged her to pick up the game when she was 30 years old. She won many local and state tournaments, and due to a lack of a US Open pool championship for women, Wise declared herself the Women’s Title Winner for 15 years. The first national tournament for women happened in 1967. She won and kept winning for the next five years. She lost the title in 1972 at the age of 57 to a Jean Balukas, a 13 year old pool phenom. #Butchhistory

tags: butchhistory
Friday 08.07.15
Posted by Molly Schiot
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