January 25th, 2011

Congratulations to the Class of 2010!

We had a great turnout at our 7th annual One Pocket Hall of Fame dinner, held Tuesday night during the 2011 Derby City Classic.

Our One Pocket inductee this year was the great all-around player, Allen Hopkins. Allen won Grady Mathews' very first Legends of One Pocket event in 1991; he was also one of the most feared after hours players of his time.

This year yet another Kentuckian banking legend, John Brumback, was our Banks inductee. John grew up in the heart of Bank Pool country and has built an unmatched resume of tournament victories, including back-to-back Derby City titles in 2009 & 2010.

Everyone knows that pool has always had two very different cultures over the years – the establishment culture of tournaments, wholesome recreation and industry endorsements on the one hand, and the after-hours culture of gambling and hustling on the other hand. It is the mission of the One Pocket Hall of Fame to honor and remember those great players and great games that represent the legacy of Pool in Action.

Allen Hopkins, One Pocket HOF Inductee &

John Brumback, Banks HOF Inductee

The late Wade Crane was represented by Diane Schmid

& Mary Kenniston -- 'Freddy the Beard' Bentivegna, presenter

In that spirit, the One Pocket Hall of Fame was pleased to present this year’s Lifetime Pool in Action award to the tremendous all-around talent, the late Wade 'Boom Boom' Crane, AKA 'Billy Johnson'.

Wade was represented by former WPBA touring pro Mary Kenniston and Diane Schmid -- who used to be married to Wade, and has since remained friendly both with Wade and his family.

Click here for a gallery of many more photos from the 2011 One Pocket Hall of Fame dinner

2011 Marks the 50th anniversary of the first Jansco Brother's Johnston City Tournament, and eight veterans of Johnston City tournaments were present at this year's dinner!

Left to right standing: Billy Incardona, Grady Mathews, Danny Di Liberto, Fred Bentivegna, George Pawelski and Bunny Rogoff. Seated left to right: Buddy Hall, JoAnn Jansco and Truman Hogue.

Veterans of Johnston City gather for a group photo

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