Ruth McGinnis

Ruth McGinnis (1910 – May 16, 1974) was an American straight pool player, who is considered one of the greatest female pool players of all time.

Early life Ruth McGinnis was born in 1910 in Honesdale, Pennsylvania to Thomas and Margaret McGinnis. She was one of three sisters, and her father was a former boat captain and barber. She began playing pool at the age of 7, on pool tables in her father's barbershop on South Main Street in Honesdale. She was a prodigious player and began receiving local and national press coverage in the late 1910s. She also played exhibition matches against Ralph Greenleaf in 1924, and was described in The Tribune as Greenleaf's protégé.

McGinnis studied to become a physical education teacher at East Stroudsbourg State Teachers College, where she also participated in a number of sports and served as a lifeguard, reportedly saving a man from drowning. She graduated in 1932, though it was difficult to find work due to the Great Depression.

In 1933, Babe Didrikson, recently returned from the 1932 Summer Olympics, challenged McGinnis to a billiards competition. The pair competed in Manhattan in January 1933, with McGinnis beating Didrikson 400–62 in a six-day match. In 1948, she became the first woman to enter the World Straight Pool Championship.

McGinnish was widely considered the World Women's Champion in the 1930s and 1940s, despite the lack of professional tournaments for women. She played primarily in exhibition contests, rather than high paying tournaments, and had a 97% win rate and a high run of 128.

A marker commemorating McGinnis has been erected in Honesdale, Pennsylvania in 2016 by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.