Larry Stadler
Not everyone may recognize the name of Rod “Babe” Thompson; most pool players know that name very well.
Recently, the Arizona Billiard Hall of Fame inducted Babe into the Arizona Billiard Hall of Fame at a dinner held on Friday, Oct. 18, 2019. The Arizona Billiard Hall of Fame dinner included induction of four terrific Arizona pool players. Fifteen players were nominated for induction; only four were selected. About 90 members voted for inductees, and Babe was the top getter garnering about two-thirds of the votes.
The other three inductees were Scott Frost, Roger Griffeis, and Mike Howerton.
Rod “Babe” Thompson grew up in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and moved to Arizona with his wife Sunny in 1972 and has been a Sun Lakes resident for 25 years. Babe and Sunny have been married for almost 59 years.
Several of Babe’s billiard accomplishments include the following:
He was a six-time Arizona State Champion and a two-time National 8-Ball Champion. In addition, “Babe” has won numerous titles in 8-Ball, 9-Ball and straight pool. His high run in straight pool was 225 balls.
While Babe no longer competes professionally, he is a member and player in the IronOaks Breakers Pool League. Babe also provides individual instruction via “Babe’s Billiard Academy.” If you need help improving your game, give Babe a call. His phone number is 602-501-6712.
I wanted to find out a little more about the Arizona Billiard Hall of Fame and how this hall of fame began. Last week, I met with Babe to get all the facts.
In 2018 Babe and several of the top Arizona pool players began discussing establishing a billiard hall of fame in Arizona. Several other states have a similar hall of fame for great pool players. Noteworthy is the State of Wisconsin, Babe’s home state.
David Mork became involved, helped organize, and put the details together to get the Arizona Hall of Fame started. Multiple meetings were held, the name was agreed upon, and the process began. Mork helped the group become a nonprofit entity, trademarked the name, and registered it with the Arizona Corporation Commission. Mork also volunteered to serve on the seven-member board as treasurer.
Currently, the Arizona Billiard Hall of Fame has over 90 members and continues to grow. Annual membership dues are $10.00. Anyone can become a member. The Hall of Fame website is AZBHOF.com. Look at the website and become a member!
Congratulations to you, Babe!