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History Book
Pigskin Mania began with 16 players in 1992 and an
entry fee of $25. If you do the math, that’s a $400 pot. Assuming the
field of 100 players is filled for Pigskin Mania XI, the total pot will be
$5,000, and total prize money in the pool’s history will top $31,000.
An Idea Whose Time Had Come. Credit
Dale Collins with uncovering the concept of the pool. Collins
participated in a similar pool while working for The Broadway department
store chain in Southern California. Collins and Jay Gonzales, later
to be known as The Poolmaster, hatched the idea to the other 14
players who participated the first year. Ten of the first 16 remain active
players. They are affectionately known as the Founding
Fathers.
Making the Rules. The Founding Fathers remain an
important component of the pool. It is the group that settles disputes and
makes rulings when an issue comes along that isn't resolved by the written
rules. Two of the major aspects of the game arose from discussions among
the Fathers: The Lock of the Week, sometimes known as The Jon Wilner
Rule, and The Pigskin Special. Both features had to be approved by the
Founding Fathers. In addition, Javier Morales is responsible for
suggesting that the Blue-Gray Game be included in the picks since it has a
point spread every year.
Spreading the Word. The pool has grown from 16 to its current number strictly
through word of mouth. The Poolmaster estimates that he has actually met
only about two-thirds of the players, and even some of those only in
passing.
Money Bags. To keep the game legal, all entry fees are given back in
prize money. From time to time, past winners have offered gifts and money
to The Poolmaster for the effort of running the pool. While those are
appreciated, they seem to push the edge of the envelope in terms of their
legality and will not be accepted.
Doing Time. The second most often-asked question is: “How much time
does The Poolmaster spend on the pool?” It’s a point he declines to
research for an answer because he doesn’t want to know. He sees the
effort as a hobby he enjoys. He’ll just say his adoring wife is patient
and understanding about it. She’s also a player who enjoys the game.
AKA The Poolmaster. The title originated
in the mid-1980s when Gonzales, while working as a sports writer at the
Arizona Daily Star, was put in charge of the newsroom’s college football
pool. The previous organizer had coined the name for himself, and it was
passed on to Gonzales along with the pool. It was adopted when Pigskin
Mania began in 1992, a year after Gonzales left the newspaper. The
Poolmaster’s bio.
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