Several local radio and television stations have been covering this year's event, with special interest going to David Krolick.   David was diagnosed with MS (multiple sclerosis) in 2000.  This has not stopped him from pursuing his dream of becoming a professional pool player.  Krolick hopes that by competing in pool tournaments across the country, he will send a positive message to others facing his chronic disease. “I feel it is important for people to understand you can achieve your dreams after being diagnosed with MS even if that dream stems from when you were a young boy,” he said.

The man that has won the most times is an amateur player, an executive with a furniture company in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, Bob Vanover.  Mr. Vanover has won the State Championship a record eight times, including six of them in a row.  For that feat and his remarkable sportsmanship, a sterling silver championship trophy standing almost three feet in height now bears his name.  The Vanover Cup has engraved the name of every man to ever win the 9-ball championship of the state of Texas.

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