News & Press

Deuel, Behrman and Incardona Elected to BCA Hall of Fame

Wed, 17 Jun 2026 20:35:00 GMT

The Billiard Congress of America has named Corey Deuel, Barry Behrman, and Billy Incardona as its Hall of Fame Class of 2026. Their election recognizes remarkable accomplishments in competition, event promotion, broadcasting, and service to the sport, cementing their legacies among the most influential figures in billiards history.

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Carlo "The Black Tiger" Biado announced as 2025 BCA Hall Of Fame Inductee

Tue, 12 Aug 2025 00:02:00 GMT

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Hall Of Famer Terry Bell Passes Away At 82 Years Old

Mon, 30 Jun 2025 18:52:00 GMT

Rest in peace to Terry "Texas Terry" Bell

1943 - June 27, 2025

Inducted in the BCA Hall Of Fame in 2010

Terry "Texas Terry" Bell (1943–2025) was a pioneering figure in American billiards, best known as the co-founder of the American Poolplayers Association (APA) and a 2010 inductee into the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame. A former professional pool player who logged thousands of miles on the road during the 1970s, Bell recognized that the sport needed more than just elite competitors—it needed fans and a strong amateur base to truly grow.

In 1979, alongside fellow pro Larry Hubbart, he launched the APA, revolutionizing amateur pool by introducing the Equalizer® handicap system, which allowed players of all skill levels to compete fairly. Under their leadership, the APA grew into the world’s largest pool league, with hundreds of thousands of members across multiple countries.

Beyond organizing leagues, Bell was a passionate teacher and produced instructional content to help players improve their game. His vision and contributions helped make pool more inclusive, structured, and accessible to everyday players, leaving a lasting impact on the sport.

Hall Of Famer Buddy Hall Passes Away At 79 Years Old

Fri, 23 May 2025 01:11:00 GMT

Rest in peace to Cecil P. "Buddy" Hall

May 29 1945 - May 22 2025

Inducted into the BCA Hall Of Fame in 2000

Cecil P. "Buddy" Hall, also known as "The Rifleman" for his straight shooting, was the first Hall of Fame Inductee of the millennium and the 39th inductee since the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame was created in 1966. Mr. Hall was born in 1945 in Metropolis, IL and has been recognized as a championship player for three decades, garnering over 50 professional titles. Titles include the Caesar's Tahoe 9-Ball Championship (1982 & '84); the International 9?Ball Classic ('91); Challenge of Champions ('92); and the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship ('91 & '98). Hall has also won three of the ten richest top prizes in pool, and many consider him to be one of the most fundamentally solid 9-Ball players of all time. He has been selected as Player of the Year in 1982, 1991, and 1998, and Senior Tour Player of the Year in 1998. Rags to Rifleman, a biography of his life and career, was published in 1995.

Pool Legend Danny DiLiberto Passes Away At 89

Tue, 11 Feb 2025 21:41:00 GMT

Billiards Digest Press Release: 02/11/2025

𝗣𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗟𝗲𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗮𝗻𝗻𝘆 𝗗𝗶𝗟𝗶𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗼 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗮𝘁 𝟴𝟵

To a generation of pool fans, Danny DiLiberto was known primarily for his insightful analysis and clever commentary on pro tournament matches taped and streamed for Accu-Stats Video Productions, mostly teaming with Billy Incardona as one of the sport’s iconic commentator duos.

But DiLiberto, who passed away Feb. 11 in Florida, will be remembered as one of the game’s great all-around champions, a tenacious competitor who won major national titles in four disciplines. DiLiberto was 89, just eight days short of his 90th birthday.

Born in Buffalo, Feb. 19, 1935, DiLiberto excelled in any sport that began with the letter “B.” He reached the AA level of minor league baseball and, fighting for famed trainer Angelo Dundee under the name Danny “Kid” Torriani, was unbeaten in 14 professional fights. He posted 12 wins and two draws, until multiple broken hands ended his career. He was also a proficient bowler, bowling a perfect 300 game when the feat was a rarity.

But it was billiards at which DiLiberto eventually carved out a career that spanned more than 40 years. A New York city and state straight pool champion in the early 1960s, DiLiberto twice finished runner-up in the prestigious Billiard Congress of America U.S. Open — falling to fellow BCA Hall of Famers Joe Balsis in 1968 and Steve Mizerak in 1972.

It was also in ’72 that DiLiberto scored his biggest wins, capturing the straight pool division at the legendary Johnston City World All-Around Championships and then defeating Incardona and Larry “Boston Shorty” Johnson to claim the All-Around title. In 1981, DiLiberto defeated Nick Varner in the BCA National 8-Ball Championship in Las Vegas. Two years later he won the World One-Pocket title and followed that a year later winning the 1984 Classic Cup National 9-Ball Championship.

DiLiberto is a member of four halls of fame. In addition to being inducted into the BCA Hall of Fame in 2011, DiLiberto was inducted into the One-Pocket Hall of Fame (2004), Buffalo Boxing Hall of Fame (2006) and Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame (2017).

Van Boening, Griffin, Panozzo Elected to Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame

Fri, 17 May 2024 17:06:00 GMT

Longmont, Colo., May 17, 2024 – The Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame will welcome a generational talent, a league and tournament promotor, and a leader in billiard media to the Hall of Fame class of 2024. The United States Billiard Media Association today announced that South Dakota’s “SVB” Shane Van Boening, amateur league owner and professional tournament promoter Mark Griffin, and Billiards Digest publisher Mike Panozzo have earned induction into the sport’s most prestigious club. MORE ....

BCA HOF Introduces Niels "the Terminator" Feijen As 2023 Inductee

Fri, 14 Jul 2023 15:42:00 GMT

The Billiard Congress of America (BCA) Hall of Fame welcomes one of the game’s hardest working and most ferocious competitors when the Netherland’s great Niels “the Terminator” Feijen is inducted into the sport’s most prestigious club.

Feijen, 46, a two-time World Champion, was the clear choice of voters in the Greatest Players category and is the first Dutch-born player to be inducted into the BCA Hall of Fame.

Feijen will formally be inducted into the Hall of Fame on Friday, Nov. 3, at the Norfolk Sheraton Waterside Hotel in Norfolk, Va., in conjunction with the 2023 International Open pool tournament.

“Obviously, this is a huge honor,” Feijen said when informed of his election. “To be in the same club with my heroes — legends like Efren Reyes and Earl Strickland — is an amazing feeling.

“It’s something I really didn’t think about at all until about five years ago. I was still focused on trying to win tournaments. Once I was on the ballot, I know I was close a few times. You hope, but you have to tell yourself, ‘It will happen when it happens.’”

The road has been long and measured for Feijen, an avid athlete as a youth. After discovering pool in his hometown of The Hague at 16, Feijen’s pursuit of greatness was relentless, with a stint in the U.S. as a 20-year-old, playing against the stars he’d studied on so many videos. In short order, Feijen began placing in the top 10 in numerous international events. His first major breakthrough came in 2008, when he won the WPA World Straight Pool Championship.

After finishing third in the WPA World 10-Ball Championship that year, and runner-up twice in the WPA World 8-Ball Championship (2010, 2011), Feijen finally captured his second world title at the WPA World 9-Ball Championship in 2014. He won the World Pool Masters in 2013 and repeated as champion in 2018. His biggest years were 2013 and 2014, a two-year stretch in which he added back-to-back World Cup of Pool runner-up finishes, back-to-back runner-up finishes in the Derby City 10-Ball Challenge and a pair of Mosconi Cup wins and MVP honors to his Masters and World 9-Ball crowns. He won the Derby City 9-Ball title in 2007. He has appeared in 14 Mosconi Cups, winning eight times and earning MVP honors four times. He is three-time European 9-Ball Champion, seven-time European Straight Pool Champion and European 8-Ball Champion.

“I remember my father asking me years ago what I wanted to do in pool,” Feijen recalled. “I told him, ‘I want to win a world title and get into the Hall of Fame.’ Crazy that it has happened.”

Voting for the 2023 BCA Hall of Fame was conducted by the USBMA Hall of Fame Board, which consists of USBMA members, elected At-Large members and living members of the Hall of Fame. In his fifth year on the ballot, Feijen was named on 29 submitted ballots (79%). American Corey Deuel was named on 17 ballots (48%). Jeremy Jones, JoAnn Mason-Parker, Stefano Pellinga, John Schmidt, Vivian Villarreal and Charlie Williams completed the 2023 ballot. To be eligible for consideration in the Greatest Players category, a player (a) must be 40 years old by Jan. 1 of the year of their inclusion on the ballot; (b) must have a professional playing career of at least 10 years; and (c) must have recorded significant achievements in U.S.-based and international events recognized by the BCA.