Allen Hopkins is an American professional pocket billiards (pool) player….professional billiards color commentator….and BCA Hall of Fame inductee….who promotes multiple annual pool events and still competes as a professional contender.
At seven years old….after watching many tournaments on television….Allen began to play pool on a small table his parents bought for him….and as an amateur at the age of 12….Hopkins “ran” a prodigious 110 balls and took this talent to play against grown men.
By the age of 17….he went professional and took 5th place in the 1969 US Open Nine-ball Championship….then in 1977….Hopkins earned the title in that event again as well as the PPPA World Nine-ball Championship and the World Straight Pool Championship. By 1981….he won the US Open Nine-ball Championship. In both 1986 and 1987, Hopkins was the champion of the Japan World Open.
In this video herewith…..Hopkins performs a beautiful masse shot….followed by a wonderful shot on the 9-ball in the side pocket….as sportscasting legend Howard Cosell describes the action.
Allen Hopkins’ professional career began in the 1970’s and spanned over three decades.