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Ralph Greenleaf did wonders for the sport of billiards. He was a true showman, and made strides to keep the sport from fading in to obscurity by increasing it's popularity.
Ralph Greenleaf won his first world title in billiards in 1919, and defended it nine times in a row. Married to Princess Nai Tai Tai, a beautiful woman who was in show business. He dazzled audiences with amazing trick shot shows and exhibitions. He made those events more spectacular and enjoyable for the spectators by suspending a huge mirror over the pool table to give a better view.
Essentially untouchable in the sport, Ralph Greenleaf won fourteen world titles by 1937. With a charismatic personality and a showman's natural flair, more than anyone else Ralph Greenleaf rescued the game of pool, by casting it into the spotlight when it was on the brink of obscurity.
As good as Ralph Greenleaf was at the billiard table, he was just as bad when it came to drinking alcohol. Many billiard players or were around during the Ralph Greenleaf era claim that Ralph Greenleaf frequently hit the bottle, causing a premature end to the growing potential of his amazing but short billiard career. There are stories of Ralph Greenleaf cracking under pressure of the big matchup and running to the men's room for a quick one in order to calm his nerves and help them play better.
This alcoholism and drug addiction became excessive Ralph began falling down and using heroin at a rate that killed him. He was banned from the world billiard tour at the end of his career and death and died at the age of 50 drunk and broke. He was thrown into an unmarked pauper's grave.
The book above tells some of the stories of the great billiard players of the Ralph Greenleaf era, and may be of some interest if you are interested in the history of the sport and in Ralph Greenleaf's short career.
Ralph Greenleaf acheived many titles during his short run at professional cue sports.
These are, of course, just a few of the formal titles Greenleaf has been awarded. This does not list, however, the massive amounts of cash he earned money matches throughout the great depression.
The ralph greenleaf article was posted on 12/9/2006 4:24:25 PM and updated on 4/29/2008 8:20:00 PM. The ralph greenleaf article was edited by .
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