When you think of the sport of billiards, you think of names like Willie Mosconi, Irving Crane, and Minnesota Fats. Let’s add the name Dorothy Wise, one of the few women in the sport of billiards during the 20th Century.
Dorothy Wise was in a league of her own, as there were very few women’s tournaments when she first started playing pool professionally. Let’s take a look back at the life and legacy of Dorothy Wise.
Born Dorothy Eleanor Maxfield, she enjoyed many sports as a child, playing croquet, baseball, and skiing. After divorcing her first husband at a young age, she remarried Jimmy Wise, who owned and operated several billiard halls across the country. Jimmy taught Dorothy to play pool, and she was obsessed with the game.
Even though she was taught by someone accustomed to the game, she still got frustrated. “Of course, there were times when we’d clash,” she said. “In fact, I think I quit the game about 110 times. About 30 minutes was my longest retirement, though. Then I’d come back.”
Dorothy Wise (photo courtesy AZbilliards.com)
Wise participated in many men’s tournaments, including the Redwood City Open, which she won in 1953 and 1954. Male competitors protested about her participation and even bullied her. Mike Shamos, who runs Billiard Archive, a nonprofit in Pittsburgh that preserves the history of pool, recalls, “There was tremendous prejudice at the time against any women who went into a pool hall. Dorothy blew through that.”
Wise received recognition when she won the first national tournament, held in 1967, and earned a $500 prize. Jimmy Wise was fortunate to watch Dorothy win the first national championship, as he passed away the following year. Wise persevered and went on to win four more national championships, although she did lose the 1972 title to 13-year old Jean Balukas.
Wise was inducted into two Halls of Fame after her professional career. In 1980, she was inducted into the Women’s Professional Billiards Association (WPBA). A year later, Wise became the first woman inducted into the Billiards Congress of America Hall of Fame.
For years, Wise toured the country, displaying trick shots and even receiving sponsorships from cue manufacturers. She even earned sponsorships from Fischer, a maker of pool tables, and Spalding, the popular sporting goods company.
Over the years, Wise encouraged many women and children to learn to play pool. A role model who enjoyed the grandmotherly image she gained from her hair turning gray, Wise never cursed, smoked, drank, or gambled.
After retiring from the game, she lived with a friend, Michelina Russo. They bought a house in Kansas City, Missouri, that included (of course) a billiards table.
Dorothy Wise died in 1995 at the age of 80.
