Rich, this article is from the passing of Jake jr. Bur mentions the Sr.
JAKE SCHAEFER, 81, BILLIARDS EXPERT
Jake Schaefer jr., five‐time holder of the world's 18.2 balkline billiard championship, died in Cleveland on Nov. 10. He was 81 years old.
Flourishing in the golden age of sports in the 1920's Mr. Schaefer won his title for the first time in 1921 by defeating another legendary billiard player, Willie Hoppe. He won again, also in tournament play, in 1925 and 1929. His two other victories were in challenge matches, in 1926 and 1927.
Mr. Schaefer's formidable talents with the cue were abetted by his size. He was tall and slender, a picture of grace, and he had long legs and a long reach, which permitted him to execute almost any shot on the table without resorting to a bridge. Although Mr. Schaefer won the adulation of other billiard players and thousands of spectators, he was a remote man.
In the balkline billiards, at which he excelled, parallel lines, or balklines, are drawn, on the table 18 inches from each rail, creating blocks in which with one exception the player is limited to two caroms when the object balls are in the same block. This type of billiards is considered the supreme test of professional skill.
Son of a Billiard Player
The son of a billiard player, Jacob F. Schaefer Jr. was born in Chicago on Oct. 18, 1894. The elder Mr. Schaefer, nicknamed the Wizard because of his exploits with the cue, tutored his son almost from infancy. He was also Mr. Hoppe's teacher. Oddly, the elder Mr. Schaefer's last professional match, in 1908, a year before his death, was a successful defense of his 18.1 balkline title against Mr. Hoppe.
The son, known generally as Young Jake, scored some spectacular runs during his career. Once, in a 1,500‐point match, he made a run of 432 balls On another occasion, he ran 585.
When balkline billiards declined as a sport—the last match play was in 1938—Mr. Schaefer turned his attention to three‐cushion billiards, but he never was able to attain a title.
In his later years, Mr. Schaefer directed the billiard room of the Cleveland Athletic Club.
He leaves his wife, Toni; a son, Jacob 3d, and one grandchild.