Cochran, Welker

Welker Cochran, (born Oct. 7, 1897, Des Moines, Iowa, U.S.—died July 26, 1960, Belmont, Calif.), prominent American billiards player who, with his rivals Willie Hoppe and Jake Schaefer, Jr., dominated the game for the first three decades of the 20th century.

Cochran began playing billiards at the age of 13 in his father’s billiards room in Manson, Iowa. He studied the game under Lanson W. Perkins in Chicago, and by the time he was 17, he outclassed everyone except Hoppe. In 1925 and 1927 he won the balkline billiards title. Cochran took up three-cushion carom billiards after balkline lost popularity in the 1930s and went on to win the three-cushion title in 1933, 1935, and 1936. He was the only player to hold simultaneous titles in both three-cushion and 18.2 balkline billiards. From 1936 to 1940 he operated a billiards academy. In 1944 he reclaimed the three-cushion title from Hoppe.