Yes, Allen lives about twenty-minutes away by car from Atlantic City and as a past champion, he had no entry fee, which made it a free roll.
McCready is chillin' and grillin'. McCready is on Facebook, a safe place to discuss pool with pro players, retired players, pool enthusiasts, railbirds, pool fourth estate, instructional authors, and pool aficionados.
Johnny and Larry passed away years ago, sadly.
Indeed. He still lives & plays around SoCal and at age 72 recently competed in the Predator World 10-ball in Vegas. Super nice, very mellow guy, razor sharp & still likes action.
Allen was a superb all-around player and is deservedly in the BCA Hall of Fame, but his all-around accomplishments are, in my view, below those of Luther Lassiter, Harold Worst, Nick Varner, Mike Sigel, Efren Reyes, Alex Pagulayan, Dennis Orcullo, and Eddie Taylor. Still, Allen is an undisputed legend who is rightly remembered as an all-time great.
Allen Hopkins "Young Hoppy" 1952 - Present Inducted 2008 | Allen Hopkins was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, but was raised in the small suburban town of Cranford, New Jersey, by adoptive parents Paul and Marietta Hopkins. His father bought him a three-foot toy pool table when he was six years old. At the tender age of eight, playing on a regulation-sized table for the first time, he sank 10 balls in a row. Hopkins played championship-level pool for three decades, from the 1970s through the 1990s. He is known for his versatility as a player, earning titles in such varied events as the 1977 World Open 14.1 Straight Pool championship, the 1977 and 1981 U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships, the 1990 Cleveland Open 10-Ball Classic and the 1991 Legends of One-Pocket event. He credited his development as a pool player to growing up with and playing against top talents on the East Coast, including BCA Hall-of-Famers Ray Martin, Steve Mizerak and Cisero Murphy, as well as Pete Margo, Jack Colavita and Onofrio Lauri. Hopkins’ lengthy resume includes titles at other major events, including the 1983 Meucci Rivermont Open, the 1984 Texas River City Open, the 1987 Eastern States 9-Ball, the 1989 Coors Valley Forge Classic, the 1990 River City Invitational, the 1993 International Challenge of Champions and the 1999 Denver 10-Ball Open. Now based in Port Republic, New Jersey, Mr. Hopkins produces the annual Super Billiards Expo, a four-day consumer trade show combined with large-scale amateur and professional tournaments. I would give a slight edge to Hopkins. |
Thanks for that. I count myself lucky to have had the opportunity to watch Allen's career up close. He won the second tournament I ever attended, the 1977 PPPA World Straight Pool Championship in Asbury Park, New Jersey, and he very nearly defended that title, reaching the final in 1978 before losing to Ray Martin.
Allen Hopkins
"Young Hoppy"
1952 - Present
Inducted 2008Allen Hopkins was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, but was raised in the small suburban town of Cranford, New Jersey, by adoptive parents Paul and Marietta Hopkins. His father bought him a three-foot toy pool table when he was six years old. At the tender age of eight, playing on a regulation-sized table for the first time, he sank 10 balls in a row. Hopkins played championship-level pool for three decades, from the 1970s through the 1990s. He is known for his versatility as a player, earning titles in such varied events as the 1977 World Open 14.1 Straight Pool championship, the 1977 and 1981 U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships, the 1990 Cleveland Open 10-Ball Classic and the 1991 Legends of One-Pocket event. He credited his development as a pool player to growing up with and playing against top talents on the East Coast, including BCA Hall-of-Famers Ray Martin, Steve Mizerak and Cisero Murphy, as well as Pete Margo, Jack Colavita and Onofrio Lauri. Hopkins’ lengthy resume includes titles at other major events, including the 1983 Meucci Rivermont Open, the 1984 Texas River City Open, the 1987 Eastern States 9-Ball, the 1989 Coors Valley Forge Classic, the 1990 River City Invitational, the 1993 International Challenge of Champions and the 1999 Denver 10-Ball Open. Now based in Port Republic, New Jersey, Mr. Hopkins produces the annual Super Billiards Expo, a four-day consumer trade show combined with large-scale amateur and professional tournaments. I would give a slight edge to Hopkins.
