Herb Hardt

Hardt was born to German-Americans Herman Graf and Henrietta Hansen in Chicago, and adopted by German immigrants William and Friederike Hardt as an infant.1910 United States Federal Census

On February 18, 1932 it was reported that the prior night former national amateur champion, A. J. Harris had beaten Hardt 50 to 49 at three-cushion in Madison, Wisconsin.{{Cite news|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/PdfViewerTags.aspx?img=7525112|format=fee required|title=Shimon Tops Western Amateur Cue Tourney|work=Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune|date=February 18, 1932|page=5|access-date=February 17, 2010}}

In 1951 Herbt competed in the United States national billiards championship (three-cushion billiards) held in Chicago.{{Cite news|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/PdfViewerTags.aspx?img=36517158|format=fee required|title=2 Upsets Produced in Billiard Tourney|work=Austin Daily Herald|date=February 17, 1951|page=5|access-date=February 17, 2010}} On the first day of the tournament, February 16, 1951, Hardt beat Harold Worst 50-45 in 43 innings.

In February 1952 he was reported to be one of an eleven-man field playing in the Chicago sectional billiards tournament (three-cushion), and to have a 3–0 record at that time.{{Cite news|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/PdfViewerTags.aspx?img=87720193|format=fee required|title=Chicago Field Cut to Six in Billiards Meet|work=Waterloo Daily Courier (Iowa)|date=January 30, 1952|page=14|access-date=February 17, 2010}} The two winners of the tournament would graduate to the eastern regional championship, to be held in Buffalo, New York, in turn competing for a spot in the 1952 world tournament to be held in San Francisco, California where they would face defending champion, Willie Hoppe. Hardt made it to the Buffalo regional{{Cite news|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/PdfViewerTags.aspx?img=43779572|format=fee required|title=Crane Slated to Play at Buffalo|work=Syracuse Herald-Journal|date=February 11, 1952|page=21|access-date=February 17, 2010}} and won his first three matches in the round robin tournament, with only two more players in his path, including Irving Crane,{{Cite news|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/PdfViewerTags.aspx?img=43779788|format=fee required|title=Irv Crane Faces Unbeaten Hardt|work=Syracuse Herald-Journal|date=February 15, 1952|page=38|access-date=February 17, 2010}} six-time world champion at straight pool.{{cite journal|journal=Billiards Digest Magazine|title=A Rusty Game? Are today's players out of stroke when it comes to 14.1?|first=Bob|last=Jewett|date=July 2000|pages=22–24|issn=0164-761X}} Although Hardt thereafter lost twice to Crane—first to even the standings of the men, three wins to one loss each, and a second time in 50 to 35 in 71 innings{{Cite news|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/PdfViewerTags.aspx?img=22675413|format=fee required|title=Irv Crane Faces Unbeaten Hardt|work=The Post Standard|date=February 17, 1952|page=149|access-date=February 17, 2010}}—he sewed up second place for a spot in the world tournament.{{Cite news|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/PdfViewerTags.aspx?img=46268622|format=fee required|title=Kilgore, Bozeman in Coast Cue Victory|work=Long Beach Press-Telegram|date=February 18, 1952|page=12|access-date=February 17, 2010}}

File:1952_World's_Three-Cushion_sheet.png

The 1952 World Three-Cushion Billiards tournament was reported to have "The greatest billiard field since before World War II".{{Cite news|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/PdfViewerTags.aspx?img=6066233|format=fee required|title=Hoppe, Nine Other Billiard Aces, Entered in Three-Cushion Tourney|work=Nevada State Journal|date=March 2, 1952|page=9|access-date=July 2, 2010}} First place earned a $2,000 purse, plus thousands in exhibition fees. Following behind to eight places were prizes of $1,000, $700, $500, $350, $300, $250 and $250 respectively.

The ten champions slated to play in the round robin format tourney{{Cite news|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/PdfViewerTags.aspx?img=95362194|format=fee required|title=Jap Woman Cueist Meets Willie Hoppe|work=Corpus Christi Times|date=March 14, 1952|page=3-D|access-date=February 4, 2010}} to begin on March 6, 1952,{{Cite news|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/PdfViewerTags.aspx?img=79715809|format=fee required|title=Hoppe Praises Woman Who is Seeking His Billiard Crown|work=Blytheville Courier News (Ark)|date=February 27, 1952|page=8|access-date=February 11, 2010|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120715161849/http://newspaperarchive.com/PdfViewerTags.aspx?img=79715809|archive-date=July 15, 2012|url-status=dead}} were Hardt, Masako Katsura (first woman to ever play for any world billiard crown),{{Cite news|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/PdfViewerTags.aspx?img=89465567|format=fee required|title=She Takes Her Cue And Does Right Well With It|work=Salina Journal (Kansas)|date=August 21, 1952|page=22|access-date=February 4, 2010}}{{Cite news|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/PdfViewerTags.aspx?img=36522559|format=fee required|title=Pert Japanese Cue Star Loses to Hoppe|work=Austin Daily Herald|date=March 15, 1952|page=5|access-date=February 12, 2010|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120715003634/http://newspaperarchive.com/PdfViewerTags.aspx?img=36522559|archive-date=July 15, 2012|url-status=dead}} Kinrey Matsuyama, favorite and defending champion Willie Hoppe, Mexican champion Joe Chamaco, New York's Art Rubin, Los Angeles' Joe Procita, Ray Kilgore of San Francisco, Jay Bozeman, of Vallejo and Binghamton's Irving Crane.{{cite magazine|author=Staff writers|date=March 17, 1952|title=Lady with a Cue|magazine=Time Magazine|publisher=Time|volume=LIX|issue=11|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,816134-1,00.html?iid=perma_share|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104201104/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,816134-1,00.html?iid=perma_share|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 4, 2012|access-date=January 14, 2009}}{{cite book|title=Guinness Book of World Records|publisher=Sterling Pub. Co|year=1956|page=182|oclc=4562942}}{{Cite news|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/PdfViewerTags.aspx?img=43322499|format=fee required|title=Kilgore Takes Billiard Meet|work=Oakland Tribune|date=February 18, 1952|page=24|access-date=February 11, 2010}}

The championship between the invitees was to take place at Welker Cochran's 924 Club, with 45 total games to be played (each player to play every other once){{Cite news|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/PdfViewerTags.aspx?img=45704004|format=fee required|title=Crane Takes Billiard Title|work=San Mateo Times|date=February 19, 1952|page=12|access-date=February 11, 2010}} over the 17-day tournament ending on March 22, 1952. Hardt came in dead last, winning only one game against Art Rubin with a final score of 50 to 35 in 49 innings.{{clear}}

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Category:American carom billiards players

Category:Sportspeople from Chicago

Category:1905 births

Category:1978 deaths

Category:American people of German descent