New York City, NY - The votes are in, and Allen Hopkins, Danny Barouty, and Willie Mosconi will all be inducted this year during the Andy Cloth World Tournament of 14.1 . The 5th Annual 14.1 Hall of Fame takes place Wednesday July 15th 8pm with a dinner banquet at Steinway Cafe-Billiards. Tickets are $55 includes amazing dinner, wine, drinks, special video presentation by Jerry Tarantola, & numerous star speakers! PayPal can be paid to DPevent@gmail.com to reserve. We have a sellout crowd every year. The nomination selection process came from the World 141 Club with votes tallied from e-mails,polls and social media. This year's ballot included World Champions Allen Hopkins, Nick Varner, and Bobby Hunter in the Greatest Player Category. Mike Eufemia, Danny Barouty, and Tom Jennings are nominated in the Unsung Hero Category. Finally, 19-times World 14.1 winner Willie Mosconi will be honored posthumously in coordination with the The World Tournament of 14.1. The main event will take place once more in New York City. As usual, a star studded field is expected this year at Steinway Billiards Cafe, who is once more hosting this world class event. The World Tournament Official Equipment include Viking Cue with all matches played on Andy Cloth. Event partners include Mr.Tom Gleich, Dr. Gregory Diehl, Mr. Greg Hunt of Amsterdam Billiards, & Mr. Jim Gottier of Greenleaf's Pool Room. Patron sponsors include Mr. Harold Siegel of Excelsior Graphics, Dr. James Heller, Mr. Charles Eames of Charles Eames Photography, Frank Scharbach of Frank's Billard Cafe, and the National Amateur Pool League.
The World Tournament will be live streamed on AZBTV , order by going to www.worldstraightpool.com . Official media partners are www.NYCGrind.com , Pool & Billiard Magazine, & tech support by Gotham City Technologies.
Willie Mosconi would be 102 years old if he was alive today. He was born in 1913, just one year after the very first World 14.1 Championship. During nearly 2 decades, Mosconi won the World 14.1 seven times and defended the title an unmatched 12-times. It's no wonder till this day, the name Mosconi is synonymous with straight pool.
"The 14.1 Hall of Fame Banquet is an awesome event. The players are all dressed up and enjoying themselves. Dragon Promotions really does it right", said John Schmidt, 2012 World Tournament of 14.1 Champion.
Allen Hopkins was nominated by the World 141 Club members and afterwards won 60% of the votes submitted by fans via social media, polls, and e-mails. Hopkins was born in 1951 in Elizabeth, New Jersey at started playing pool at the age of 7, and ran his first 100 balls by age 12. He joined the pro tour by age 17, and quickly established himself as a force when at 19 years old he defeated the mighty Luther Lassiter in a 1000 point money match with Lassiter stating, "That was the greatest straight pool I've ever seen". In 1977, Hopkins started his prime winning the US Open 9-Ball, World 9-Ball, and the World 14.1 all in the same year. Hopkins would remain a force on the pro scene for the next 2 decades, and since then has become a major promoter with the highly successful Super Billiards Expo. "I was fortunate to grow up around so many great players. Straight pool has always been my best game. Straight pool separates all players."
"Allen and I not only used to battle back and forth in countless matches, but we used to also go in partnership with each other when playing other great players. He played super solid for big money and was dependable under huge pressure. I had so much mutual respect for his abilities. He was the most fierce competitor I ever met," said Pete Margo, a former top pro player during the 1970's era. Margo has been nominated for next year's 14.1 HOF personally by Hopkins himself.
Danny Barouty won 50% of the votes in the Unsung Hero category with a huge fan following in the New York tri-state area. Born in 1956, the Queens, NY native started playing pool at age 7, with 14.1 being his first game. This led to a lifelong passion for straight pool which has carried on till today as Barouty has been the cause of many players becoming 14.1 addicts through his passion and knowledge of the game. Barouty has also taken down some of the biggest names in pool such as Hohmann, Ortmann, Cohen, Parica and carries a 287 ball high run. His legacy will be his straight pool leagues in NY and now California, which still thrive today. "I never looked at myself as a promoter of straight pool. I just like the game. No hidden agenda. And I suppose everything comes from that."
"It's truly an honor to be inducted into this group of legends", said Oliver Ortmann, who was inducted into the 14.1 HOF in 2013.
A special video presentation of each inductee will be produced and presented by www.NYCGrind.com's Jerry Tarantola.
"The Straight Pool Hall of Fame banquet always ends up being an extraordinary evening. The food is delicious and the camaraderie fills the air with nostalgia and goodwill", said Cindy Lee, CEO of Dragon Promotions who has overseen the World Tournament for a decade now.
Support straight pool and the 14.1 Hall of Fame by joining the World 141 Club & for a very inexpensive sponsorship, become one of the 141 special people joining the 141 Club which will fund this year's events. The list of benefits & gifts are huge. Goto http://worldstraightpool.com/tickets.html . Tickets will be sold at the door during the event. Sponsors and private contributors can still join this year's event. Final added money and fundraising for the 5th Annual Straight Pool Hall of Fame are still being generated. To help be a part of this treasured event, please contact Dragon Promotions and join the World 141 Club.
Get the latest news and complete results of all years at www.worldstraightpool.com and daily year round updates on www.facebook.com/Worldstraightpool . Follow Dragon Promotions news at www.twitter.com/Dragonpromoter
Vendor spaces are also available, for more information on player registration, sponsorship, or if you would like to submit a comment, please email worldstraightpoolchampionships@gmail.com or contact Dragon Promotions at 1-407-782-4978. Full event info is atwww.dragonpromotions.com
