hall of fame
A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...
to honour outstanding people who, through their competitive skills and dedication, have enriched the sport and industry. Two categories have been established in the Billiard Congress of America's Hall of Fame. The "Greatest Player" category is awarded for outstanding players who must be 40 years of age or older, have been active professionals for at least 10 years and have recorded significant achievements in national or international competition recognized by the BCA. The "Meritorious Service" category (•) is awarded for those who have made lasting, memorable and important contributions to the game or the billiards industry.
The year of induction is listed after the name.
1966–1969
*
Ralph Greenleaf
Ralph Greenleaf (November 3, 1899 in Monmouth, Illinois – March 15, 1950 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) was an American professional pool and carom billiards player. He was a 19 time World Pocket Billiards Champion, who dominated the sport duri ...
Welker Cochran
Welker Cochran (October 7, 1897 – July 26, 1960) was an American professional carom billiards player who won world titles in two different disciplines, balkline and three-cushion billiards.
Biography
He was born in Des Moines, Iowa, but mov ...
(1967)
*
Alfredo de Oro
Alfredo de Oro (April 28, 1863 – April 22 or 23, 1948) was a Cuban professional carom billiards and pool player who several times held the world title in both three-cushion billiards and straight pool simultaneously. He was posthumously induc ...
Johnny Layton
Johnny is an English language personal name. It is usually an affectionate diminutive of the masculine given name John (given name), John, but from the 16th century it has sometimes been a given name in its own right for males and, less commonly ...
Jimmy Caras
James Caras (17 December 1908 – 3 December 2002) was an American professional pool player, most well known for winning five World Pocket Billiard Titles between 1935 and 1949.
After a 12-year hiatus, Caras would return to cue sports, and win ...
(1977)
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Irving Crane
Irving Crane (November 13, 1913 – November 17, 2001), nicknamed "the Deacon", was an American pool player from Livonia (near Rochester), New York,Billiard Congress America (1995-2005)BCA Hall of Fame Inductees: 1977 - 1984. Retrieved Nove ...
(1978)
1980–1989
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Steve Mizerak
Stephen Mizerak Jr. (October 12, 1944 – May 29, 2006), better known as Steve Mizerak, was an American pool player, considered one of the all-time greats, dominant during the 1970s and early 1980s in the game of Straight Pool, holding over 70 to ...
Joe Balsis
Joseph (Joe) Balsis (born 1921, Minersville, Pennsylvania, died January 2, 1995, Minersville), nicknamed "the Meatman", was an American professional pool player, who was inducted into the Billiard Congress of America's Hall of Fame in 1982.
(1982)
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Luther Lassiter Luther Clement Lassiter, Jr. (November 5, 1918 – October 25, 1988),MyFamily.com Inc. (1998-2006)U.S. Social Security Death Index Search Retrieved December 5, 2006 nicknamed Wimpy, was an American pool player from Elizabeth City, North Carolin ...
(1983)
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Minnesota Fats
Minnesota Fats, or George Hegerman, is a fictional pool hustler created by American novelist Walter Tevis. The character appears in Tevis' novel ''The Hustler'' (1959). Jackie Gleason portrayed the character in the 1961 film adaptation of ''The ...
(1984) •
*
Jean Balukas
Jean Balukas (born June 28, 1959) is an American pool player from Brooklyn, New York, and ranks among the stellar players in the history of the sport. At least through the 1990s, when Allison Fisher began her ascendancy, Balukas was widely acknow ...
Erwin Rudolph
Erwin Rudolph (December 30, 1893 - May 19, 1957) was an American pocket billiards player from Cleveland, Ohio and a five-time world champion. One of his great feats was running 125 points in 32 minutes (now eclipsed).
Biography
Rudolph was born o ...
Mike Sigel
Michael Sigel (born July 11, 1953) is an American professional pool player nicknamed "Captain Hook." He earned the nickname from his ability to hook his opponents with safety plays. Sigel has the ability to shoot pool both left-handed and righ ...
Nick Varner
Nick Varner (born May 15, 1948, in Owensboro, Kentucky) is an American pool player who was inducted into the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame in 1992. Varner is a world champion and has won back to back U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships, in ...
(1992)
*
Michael Phelan Michael or Mike Phelan may refer to:
* Michael Francis Phelan (1875–1941), Member of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts
* Michael L. Phelan (born 1947), judge of the Federal Court of Canada
* Mike Phelan (born 1962), Eng ...
Dallas West
Dallas West (born 1941, Rockford, Illinois) is an American pool player and was inducted into the Billiards Congress of America Hall of Fame in 1996.
West is known for having a strong competitive spirit and is respected by his peers as being a ...
Ruth McGinnis
Ruth McGinnis (1910 – May 16, 1974) was an American straight pool player, who is considered one of the greatest female pool players of all time.
Early life
Ruth McGinnis was born in 1910 in Honesdale, Pennsylvania to Thomas and Margaret McGi ...
Buddy Hall
Cecil P. "Buddy" Hall (born May 29, 1945, in Metropolis, Illinois) has been an American professional pool player for four decades and is considered one of the best nine-ball players of all time. The International Pool Tour heralds Hall as a "liv ...
Raymond Ceulemans
Raymond, Knight Ceulemans (born 12 July 1937) is a Belgian billiards player who won 21 UMB three-cushion World Championship titles, more than any other player. Along with 48 Europea ...
Jim Rempe
James Rempe (born November 4, 1947, in Scranton, Pennsylvania, US) is an American professional pocket billiards (pool) player, and was inducted into the Billiard Congress of America's Hall of Fame in 2002.
Career
Rempe began playing pool at th ...
(2002)
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Ed Kelly
Edmond Kelly, also known as "Ed" or "Eddie" and nicknamed the Silver Fox (born October 24, 1948 in Dublin, Ireland), is an Irish-American former soccer player. He played in the American Soccer League and one season in the North American Socc ...
(2003)
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Efren Reyes
Efren Manalang Reyes (born August 26, 1954), popularly known by the nickname "Bata" (English: "Kid"), is a Filipino professional pool player. Reyes is widely considered one of the greatest pool players of all time. A winner of over 100 inte ...
(2003)
*
Ewa Laurance
Ewa Laurance (formerly Ewa Mataya, February 26, 1964) is a Swedish professional pool player, most notably on the Women's Professional Billiard Association nine-ball tour, a sports writer, and more recently a sports commentator for ESPN. In 2004 ...
(2004)
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George Balabushka
George Balabushka (Russian: Григорий Антонович Балабушка ''Grigoriy Antonovich Balabushka''; December 9, 1912 – December 5, 1975) was a Russian-born billiards (pool) cue maker, arguably the most prominent membe ...
(2004) •
*
Mike Massey
Michael Massey (born April 9, 1947), professionally known as Mike Massey, is an American professional pool player From 1989 to 1991 he served as a contributing editor of ''The Snap Magazine''. Massey was born in Loudon, Tennessee, and for several ...
Earl Strickland
Earl Strickland (born June 8, 1961) is an American professional pool player who is considered one of the best nine-ball players of all time. He has won over 100 championship titles and three world titles. In 2006 he was inducted into the Billiar ...
(2006)
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Sang Lee
Sang Chun Lee ( ko, 이상천; January 15, 1954 – October 19, 2004), most commonly known simply as Sang Lee, was a Korean-born American professional three-cushion billiards player and world champion.
Professional career
Born and raised in Sou ...
(2007)"BCA Hall of Fame 2007 — 51st Inductee: Sang Chun Lee" , Billiard Congress of America, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA; accessed 2 March 2007
* Allen Hopkins (2008)
* Pat Fleming (2008) •
* Johnny Archer (2009)
* Allison Fisher (2009)
2010–2019
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Francisco Bustamante
Francisco Bustamante (born December 29, 1963) is a Filipino professional pool player from Tarlac, Central Luzon and the 2010 World Nine-ball Champion, nicknamed "Django", after the lead character of the 1966 film of the same name,Terry Bell (2010) •
* Larry Hubbart (2010) •
* Ralf Souquet (2011)
*
Danny DiLiberto
Danny DiLiberto (born February 19, 1935 in Buffalo, New York) is an American retired professional pool player, nicknamed "Buffalo Danny".
A veteran player from the Johnston City era, a teacher, an author, and previously working as a commentator f ...
(2011)
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Karen Corr
Karen Corr (born 10 November 1969) is a Northern Irish professional pool and former snooker and English billiards player. She was inducted in the BCA Hall of Fame in 2012.
Early life
Corr was born on 10 November 1969 in Ballymoney, Northern Ir ...
(2012)
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Jeanette Lee
Jeanette Lee (born Lee Jin-Hee, Hangul: 이진희, July 9, 1971, in Brooklyn, New York) is a Korean-American professional pool player. She was nicknamed the Black Widow by her friends because, in spite of her sweet demeanor, she would "eat peop ...
(2013)
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Barry Hearn
Barry Maurice William Hearn (born 19 June 1948) is an English sporting events promoter and the founder and President of promotions company Matchroom Sport.
Through Matchroom, Hearn is also involved in many sports including snooker, darts, pool ...
(2013) •
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Jose Parica
Jose Parica (born April 18, 1949)"2003 Player Profiles: Jo ...
Rodney Morris
Rodney Morris (born 25 November 1970 in Anaheim, California, USA) is a professional pool player of Chamorro - Hawaiian descent. Nicknamed "Rocket" he currently resides in Acworth, Georgia. Rodney married his wife Rheyannon in July 2020.
Career
I ...
Kim Davenport
Kim Davenport (born November 15, 1955, in McAlester, Oklahoma) is an American professional pocket billiards (pool) player, nicknamed "Kimmer".
Professional career
He became a professional player in 1985.
Davenport is an originator of target p ...
Alex Pagulayan
Alex is a given name. It can refer to a shortened version of Alexander, Alexandra, Alexis.
People
Multiple
*Alex Brown (disambiguation), multiple people
*Alex Gordon (disambiguation), multiple people
*Alex Harris (disambiguation), multiple peop ...
(2019)
2020–2022
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Kelly Fisher
Kelly Fisher (born 25 August 1978) is an English professional pool, snooker and English billiards player.
Career
Fisher grew up in South Elmsall, near Pontefract, West Yorkshire. She learned to play pool in her parents' pub and took up snooke ...
(2020)
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Thorsten Hohmann
Thorsten Hohmann (born 14 July 1979 in Fulda, West Germany) is a German professional pool player, nicknamed "the Hitman." He is a three-time world champion, winning the WPA World Nine-ball Championship in 2003, and 2013, and winning the WPA Worl ...