WILLIAM HAY ROGERS
William Hay Rogers of Atherton, California won in 1960 as many world titles and set as many records as most skeet shooters would be satisfied with in a lifetime of shooting. During His banner year, Rogers broke 100 straight with the .410 (the first time that had been done in 10 years). He won the 28 and 20 gauge events and the all‑around world championships, set a record of 546 on 550 targets for amateurs, set a new .410 seasonal average record of .9709, and was captain of the Sports Afield All‑America Team.
Rogers was born in 1917 in San Francisco and graduated from the University of California at Berkley where he played football and rugby. During World War II, he served 38 months in the South Pacific as an infantryman. In 1947 he graduated from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and became a securities trader. Five years later he began his attack on skeet. He participated in 160 registered shoots, won 160 individual titles including four state 12 gauge championships in a row and won four national championships. Following his big 1960 season, Rogers won eight all‑around titles in nine tries, set a new all‑around average record of .985 in 1961 and in 1965 he and Dr. Eugene Donnelly of New York set a new 12 gauge high average of .998.