The Andalusia Rotary Club will host the 40th annual World Championship Domino Tournament this Fri. and Sat., July 10 and 11. Here are some fun facts about the history of the tournament.

World Championship Domino Tournament

• Started in 1976. Then Andalusia Mayor Chalmers Bryant challenged each civic club to do something special to celebrate the country’s bicentennial. The Rotary Club president announced this at a meeting, then went around the room and had each person given an idea. Dr. Charles Tomberlin suggested a domino tournament.

No vote was taken, but at the end of the meeting the club president said, “Well, I guess we’ll have a domino tournament.”

• People have come from as far away as California, and players regularly come to Andalusia from Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Mississippi, Georgia and Florida.

• More than $900,000 in prize money and trophies have been awarded since the Domino Tournament began in 1976.

• The tournament has featured famous players, including Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant; Jerry Clower; and Coach Doug Barfield.

• At one time, there also was a Miss Domino pageant. Now we partner with the Distinguished Young Woman program (formerly Junior Miss) for our Domino Queen. This year’s queen is Alli Yant.

• Chick Earle won the singles championship in the first Domino Tournament, one of three Andalusians to win in the 40-year history. The others were Heskew Lane (1977 and 2002) and Dallas Henderson. Mr. Henderson won in 1978 and still plays in the tournament.

• Twice, there has been  a “three-peat” in Singles competition. James Morgan of Bassfield, Miss., won in 1981, 1982 and 1983, and was also a doubles champion each of those years. He later won consecutive titles in 1986 and 1987.

In more recent history, Jerome Wooten of Kansas City, Mo., won in 2008, then again in 2010, 2011 and 2012. In 2010, Wooten won both the singles title and the doubles title, with Robert Newsome, also of Kansas City, as his partner.

• Current singles champions are Mark Jackson of Fort Worth, Texas, and current doubles champions are Jim Foster of Ponder, Texas, and Edward Ehling of Ideahoma, Okla.

• Winners will take home $13,500 in prize money this weekend.

 

About the Andalusia Rotary Club

Organized on December 1, 1920.

• Uses the proceeds of the Domino Tournament to support local charities. As a result of the WCDT, is able to provide $20K to $25K per year for community causes.

• Through its foundation, served as the fundraising arm for the Miracle League Field and Miracle League Park in Andalusia. More than $500,000 was raised for that project, and the Rotary Club was the first “big hitter” for the cause, contributing $10,000.

• Rotarians volunteer in the city’s after-school program, APPLE, to teach children how to play dominos. Don’t tell the kids, but the extracurricular activity also helps them learn math.