Joe Edley

Joseph Edley is an American professional Scrabble player and author who became the first player to win the National Scrabble Championship three times, taking the title in 1980, 1992 and 2000. He grew up in Detroit, Michigan, studied mathematics and philosophy at Wayne State University, and began his competitive Scrabble career in 1978 after memorizing the Official Scrabble Players Dictionary while working as a night security guard in San Francisco. Over a career spanning more than four decades he has played over 4,000 tournament games at roughly a 63 percent win rate, served as Director of Clubs and Tournaments for the National Scrabble Association from 1988 to 2009, and authored multiple Scrabble instruction and puzzle books.