Kopf was born on July 10, 1899 in Stonington, Connecticut to Lannie and Malone Kopf, who were both from Germany. He was one of 4 boys in the house. His brother Larry, was a baseball player that spent most of his time with the Cincinnati Reds and later inducted into the Cincinnati Reds hall of fame. Wally Kopf had seven siblings; brothers Larry, Otto, Herbert, and Frances; and sister Helen. His brother Larry was a professional baseball player who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Cleveland Naps, Philadelphia Athletics, Cincinnati Reds, and Boston Braves for 10 seasons (1913–23). For three years from 1919–1921, Wally Kopf attended Dartmouth College. In 1918, after announcing he was enrolling in Dartmouth, The Washington Post wrote that "Walter Kopf brother of the famous Benny [...] is said to be better than his big league brother". While college, he played basketball and baseball. In the latter sport, he played shortstop. He served in the United States Armed Forces during World War I.\n', '

Kopf played semi-professional baseball with the Stamford, Connecticut team in 1921. On September 12, 1921, he signed with the New York Giants. He played two games that season, batting .333 with one hit, one base on balls, and one strikeout in three at bats. Defensively, he played third base, turing one double play in six total chances. Although he didn\'t play, Kopf was a member of the Giants roster during the 1921 World Series. He received part of the cash reward after the Giants won the World Series.\n', '

At the start of the 1922 season, Kopf was a member of the Giants second team, which was compiled of players who were cut from New York\'s spring training roster and assigned to a team that played minor league teams in Texas. After his trial with the Giants second team, he was assigned to the Double-A Newark Bears of the International League. After a week with the Bears, Kopf was turned back to the Giants and manager John McGraw gave him an unconditional release. Later that year, he signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Dodgers assigned Kopf to the Double-A Oakland Oaks of the Pacific Coast League. With the Oaks, he batted .246 with 16 hits, and five doubles in 20 games played. Brooklyn then assigned him to Newark Bears. Finally, the Dodgers sold Kopf to the Double-A Reading Aces of the International League. His combined totals in the International League that season was a batting average of .228 with 18 hits, three doubles, and two home runs in 23 games played.\n', '

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