Tom Biffar of Waterloo, Ill., first joined an APA team in 1981, when it was known as the Busch Pool League. He loved to play pool and wanted to hang out with his friends. His first team was made up entirely of skill level 2s. Although his win record wasn’t particularly great that first session, his win record was better than all of his other teammates wins combined, which he thought was amusing.
His skill progressed over the years, leaving him currently as a skill level 6 in 8-Ball and a skill level 7 in 9-Ball. He was captain of many teams over the years and was a Division Rep in the Midwest Illinois APA under League Operators Bruce & Dana Patton for the last 7 years.
He made it to Vegas to play in the National Singles Championships in 2011. He was also on teams that qualified for the 8-Ball Open Division of the National Team Championships in 1997, 2002, and 2007. Tom was also a national referee every year since 2008 at the National Team Championships. He earned Referee of the Year honors in 2012.
Tom said what he liked most about the APA was League nights with his friends and all the people he was able to meet. He felt the players were like family. He made many friends over the years playing with and against them in League play.
Tom was diagnosed with cancer on March 28, 2014. He had a slow moving type that didn’t give him any serious symptoms (other than some backaches which he assumed were due to him now being middle aged. He was 53.). By the time he was diagnosed, there were many cancerous tumors along his spine with cancer showing in his spinal fluid and brain. He passed away on May 15, 2014. He will be greatly missed.