After reading the thread on Ronnie Allen and the Hall of Fame, Jake kindly directed me to the BCA website,
www.bca-pool.com and I discovered this: "The purpose of the BCA Hall of Fame is to honor outstanding people who, through their competitive skills and dedication, have enriched our sport and industry."
Two categories have been established in BCA's Hall of Fame: Greatest Players category, "reserved for outstanding players who have been active in national or international competition for at least 20 years and have won at least one national or international championship"; and Meritorious Service category, "reserved for those who have made lasting, memorable and important contributions to billiards."
Hall of Famer Minnesota Fats is probably not remembered as Rudolf Wanderone, and it's been said that he had never been to Minnesota. He was elected to the Hall of Fame for Meritorious Service. Although he never actually won a national or international championship, he contributed to the promotion of the game through his entertainment. He wasn't even the best player of his era, but everybody loved to watch Minnesota Fats, like Ronnie Allen and other players like him.
Hall of Famer Walter Tevis who, by the way denies his book was about Minnesota Fats, is best remembered as the author of two famous books about pool, The Hustler and The Color of Money. Both movies ignited strong uptrends and new interest in the sport.
Then we have Hall of Famer Michael Phelan. I had never heard of this guy, but, according to the BCA website, he "is considered by many to be the Father of American Billiards as a player, inventor, manufacturer and tireless popularizer of billiards. He played in and won the first billiard stakes match in 1859 and holds many patents for table designs and cushions. He is credited as being the first to put diamonds on tables."
I happen to agree with Donald Purdy about Keith, and I hope he's having a "flashback." Known as one of the most money-making pool players and fondly remembered for his speaking role as Grady Seasons in The Color of Money, I think he will "keep rolling," especially with his recent good showings at tournaments. In Keith's heyday, many a pool player, even Hall of Famers, traveled to the West Coast to play Evil or Keither with the Ether, the side-stroking California kid who boasted he would spot anybody the 7-ball and actually win. And by his own admission, he loves to entertain the crowd just as much as he does playing pool.
I do believe wholeheartedly that Ronnie Allen deserves consideration by the Hall of Fame committee. Another crowd-pleaser, he is considered one of, if not the, best one-pocket players of all time. At any event I have attended, the crowd surrounds Ronnie's table.
ManlyShot
