KANSAS
HORSESHOE PITCHERS ASSOCIATION
HALL OF FAME
MERLIN POTTS
Leonardville, KS
1976
PLAYER INDUCTEE
Leonardville, KS
1976 PLAYER INDUCTEE
In the 1940s, a horseshoe pitching career began that would be perhaps the greatest in Kansas history. Taught the game by his father Gideon, Merlin Potts pitched in local tournaments and believes he started playing in the Kansas State Tournament in 1946. Merlin played fast-pitch softball in his early years and suffered an injury when hit by a warm-up toss before a game. This caused the loss of his left eye, making his horseshoeaccomplishments later in life even more remarkable. After ending his softball career, Merlin became serious about horseshoe pitching and rapidly became a contender at the Kansas State Tournament. He was runner-up in 1963 before winning his first Kansas State Title in 1964. Merlin went on to win a record 23 Kansas State titles over the next 30 years, winning in 1964, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976,1977, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1991, and 1994. Merlin broke the Kansas State Tournament ringer percent average three times, posting an average of 78.5 percent ringers in 1973 and breaking his own record twice with 78.9 percent in 1978 and establishing the current record of 79.0 percent ringers in 1984. A farmer by trade, he also began representing Kansas at the World Horseshoe Pitching Tournament in 1966 when he was chosen to receive the outstanding first-year participant award. He went on to post a long record of making the Championship Class every year he entered, missing only in 1981. His string was ended when age began catching up tohim in the 1990s. He posted his best-ever string of 40 straight ringers without a miss in a 1973 match against Jesse Gonzales in Eureka, California. He also participated in one of the greatest games ever thrown in World Tournament history while playing against Ray Martin of Illinois in 1969 at Erie, Pennsylvania. In that match, Merlin threw 138 ringers out of 158 shoes pitched for an average of 87.3 percent ringers, only to be defeated whenMartin threw 147 out of 158 shoes pitched to average 93.0 percent ringers while winning 51-27. The combined ringer percentage of the two players was the second highest average game ever recorded in World Tournament history, and the 87.3 percent average posted by Merlin was one of the best ringer averages ever by a losing player. Merlin and his son Roger became one of the few father-son combinations to participate in the Championship Class at the World Tournament in the same year, playing together in 1985, 1986, 1987, and 1988. Merlin ended his Men’s Championship Class career at the World Tournament with 22 appearances and collected 342 wins, placing him 17th in All Time Men’s Championship victories while averaging 72.9 percent ringers in all games played. After moving to the Senior Men’s 40-foot division, Merlin was crowned the Senior Men’s World Champion in 1994 in Syracuse, New York. Since moving to the Elder Men’s 30-foot division, he has participated in that division’s World Championship Class four times and also has won the Kansas State Tournament Elders Men’s Championship in 1998 and 2001. Known for his low driving 1¼ turn Imperial brand horseshoe, Merlin Potts of Leonardville, Kansas was the first Kansas player inducted into the National Horseshoe Pitchers Hall of Fame in 1990 and was inducted into the Kansas State Horseshoe Pitchers Hall of Fame in 1976 for his outstanding record as perhaps the greatest Kansas pitcher of all time. Following is a summary of Merlin’s record in Kansas State Tournaments as well as World Tournaments. Note: Some individual records in early years at Kansas State Tournament are missing for non-winners.
