Ann Martin Hecker
Ann was recognized for her superiority in both the Woman’s and Open divisions back in the low gun era. She would go on to establish record high averages for women – all with the low gun variable targets. She was born in Missouri in 1919 and soon moved to Texas with her family. She became a Texas Junior Lady Champion in both tennis and diving – all this prior to her marriage at the age of 17, to R.H. Martin, a young Army flier, who would be killed in 1948.
Martin was fond of hunting, and Ann took up Skeet to join him in 1941. She broke her first 25 straight this same year (1941) and won the Texas Skeet Ladies Championship in 1942. At the 1948 World in Las Vegas, she would win the Ladies All Around and 12 gauge titles.
In 1950, Ann and Bob Brown of San Antonio shot together and set the original two- man record of 400×400 in the 12 Gauge. Shortly thereafter, she married Dick Hecker of Tucson who was NSSA President in 1949 and 1950. This same year she broke 492×500 to take the ladies all around title in Phoenix, which then was a World Record. The following year at Dallas she won the Ladies 28 Gauge, the 12 Gauge for her fourth consecutive year and the All Around with a then record of 535×550. Additionally, she was high in all five average categories in 1951 – all these records were made with a low gun and variable targets.
She would garner the All Around and 12 Gauge titles consecutive times – the most by a Lady shooter in those days.Upon her shooting retirement in 1951, she made a clean sweep of all five Arizona Open titles and with her retirement ended her long run record for Ladies in the 12 gauge at 454 straight. All in all, in her illustrious career she captured 15 National High Average titles and was chosen to five All American teams. Quite a record considering all this was done with the low gun and variable delayed targets.
Biography By – Phil Murray
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