Schaefer, Jacob Sr.
Billiards
b. Feb. 2, 1855, Milwaukee, WI
d. March 9, 1909
Nicknamed the "Wizard," Schaefer was so good at old style straight-rail billiards, in which a player was allowed to "nurse" the balls near a cushion to score repeatedly, that new games were invented, among them 14.2, 18.1, and 18.2 balkline billiards.
Schaefer's greatest display of skill came in a championship match against J. F. B. McCleery in 1890, when he had a run of 3,000 to win 3,004-15. He retired from competition after a surprising victory over Willie Hoppe at 18.2 balkline in 1908.
His son, Jacob Jr., was an 11-time world champion and Hoppe's chief competitor during the 1920s and 1930s.