Mike Howerton
Mike Howerton, CEO of AZBilliards, has been named the recipient of this year’s BCA President’s Award.
“I was pretty shocked,” he says. “It wasn’t even on my radar that I could win something like this. I was blown away. I went to the BCA website and saw the list of those who have won, and to think my name is among that list now is mindboggling.”
When he founded the website AZBilliards.com in 1998, Howerton was only looking to cover the Arizona pool scene. It didn’t take long for billiard enthusiasts to take notice, and his web traffic began soaring. That’s when he made the decision to transition from a local site to a national site, and it’s since gone international.
The site has the go-to database of players, tournaments results and plenty of features and stories of players and topics those in the industry care about.
“When he created AZBilliards, he brought pool news into the computer age,” says Jerry Forsyth, long-time billiard journalist and commentator, who partnered with Howerton at AZBilliards and even did a podcast with him.
“The marriage of Accu-Stats into the AZB family, it now serves as a library of historic matches that go back five decades. In short, fans and researchers have a one-stop source to study the game, a source that will continue to grow for many years to come.”
Shane Tyree, CEO of the BCA, has always appreciated Howerton’s support of the organization.
“Mike volunteers his time as a BEF board member and for other groups whenever it’s requested, and he always lends a hand to BCA whenever asked,” he says. “Mike has been instrumental in assisting the BCA with managing and maintaining the BCA Pro Player ranking system. And he continuously supports the BCA with free promotions and advertising on his website AZBilliards.com.”
Additionally, the AZBilliards forums are the most interactive platform billiard aficionados have today to share ideas and opinions as well as to trade, buy and sell billiards equipment.
“The AZBilliards forums still have the largest collection of voices chattering about the industry on a daily basis,” Tyree says.
Philippe Singer, BCA chairman and vice president of marketing for the Predator Group, notes Howerton has always been there when the BCA needed help and shares the same vision of growing the sport.
“Mike’s passion for the sport has led him to build a community of pool players, and build an archive of the game’s history in terms of competition, players, videos of matches with his recent acquisition of Accustat’s YouTube channel,” he says. “The information he makes available to all for free is unprecedented. While he often works in the background and prefers to stay away from the spotlight, his legacy is to have made a significant contribution to build today’s vibrant pool community.”
Forsyth is happy to see his friend get this honor.
“Mike has dedicated himself and AZBilliards to growing the game,” he says. “He has never been afraid to get his hands dirty while assisting with BEF and many other tournaments. He has promoted youth in pool for over three decades now and publicizes regional, national and international competitions in an effort to stoke enthusiasm around the sport.”
Howerton started playing pool as a youngster and it was something that his whole family did together.
“I just loved every part of it,” Howerton says. “I followed the pro game long before websites were in existence. I was going to the local pool store and getting Billiards Digest and other magazines and following the greats. To think this was a sport and they were making money competing in tournaments, I really just wanted to put a website together for Arizona pool and it blew up from there.”
Howerton’s philosophy has always been to get the most coverage possible out to as many readers as possible.
“He accomplished this by never charging his readers for any current coverage,” Forsyth says. “Instead, he allowed this to grow his audience into the hundreds of thousands and then let nature take its course as advertisers were always drawn to the size of his reader base. He also created a forum where fans gather to opine on all manner of subjects.”
The one aspect of Howerton that stands out to Forsyth is that he never sought any fortune or glory or even thanks for all he has done to promote the game.
“He was always happy with just getting results. And that he did,” he says. “Folks the world over now have a source to read and write about all forms of billiards.”
Singer watched as AZBilliards grew as a place to get information about what was happening in the pool world, became a place to exchange with fellow pool players, and eventually grew into a place to watch some of the best pool games of all time.
“When a pool players starts to get interested in pool, AZ Billiards and now it’s Accustat’s YouTube channel, have been long-time favorites and helped fuel many players’ passion,” Singer says. “It is time to thank Mike and recognize him for his contributions to the billiard industry.”
Humbled by his award, Howerton thanks the BCA and those who helped him get to where he is today.
“Before I even got into pool, my tagline was always like the Wizard of Oz, and ‘pay no attention to the man behind the curtain’; for the most part, I’ve tried not to put myself out there,” Howerton says. “I feel AZBilliards stands for itself, and of course, Accustats does. This was a nice acknowledgment of the things I’ve done. I’m very, very proud.”
And for those who have known him, the award is well deserved.
“Mike has always been a behind-the scenes kind of guy; he works relentlessly preserving and promoting this sport and industry we all love,” Tyree says. “From Accustats to AZBilliards, Mike has always been a keyboard warrior with an unparalleled love for the sport, and now for him to be recognized with the BCA President’s award truly says how impactful his work and dedication mean, not only to the BCA, but for the entire industry.”
-Hansel