The Birthplace of the NCAA Tournament Bracket: A Staten Island Bar’s Claim to Fame

The origins of the NCAA Tournament bracket, a staple of college basketball lore, have long been shrouded in urban myth. Among the many theories, one intriguing tale points to a small Irish pub in Staten Island, New York, as the birthplace of this beloved tradition. Jody’s Club Forest, a humble bar in the West Brighton neighborhood, stakes its claim as the place where the modern bracket pool was first conceived. The story begins with Terence Haggerty, the current owner of the bar, who fondly recalls his father, Jody, as the “creative businessman” behind the idea. In the mid-1970s, Jody Haggerty devised a simple yet ingenious plan: for $10, customers could pick the Final Four teams, the national champion, and the total points in the championship game as a tiebreaker. This winner-take-all format quickly turned the bar into a bustling hotspot, with the potential for a life-changing payout. “We created a pool that just blew up over time,” Terence Haggerty remarked, reflecting on the unexpected success of his father’s creation.

The bar’s rise to fame coincided with some of the most iconic moments in college basketball history, including the era of Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, and Christian Laettner. Word of mouth and the excitement of the NCAA Tournament fueled the growth of the pool, transforming Jody’s Club Forest into a hub for basketball enthusiasts. By the time the bar ended its pool in 2006, the jackpot had swelled to a staggering $1.6 million, cementing its place in March Madness lore. “We never in a million years would have ever imagined where it got,” Terence Haggerty said, marveling at the pool’s exponential growth over the decades.

A Kentucky Contender: The Other Origin Story

While Jody’s Club Forest in Staten Island is often credited with popularizing the bracket pool, it isn’t the only claimant to the throne. In Kentucky, a state renowned for its bourbon, baseball, and basketball, another story emerged about a U.S. Postal Service worker named Bob Stinson. Stinson, who passed away in 2018, is said to have created his own version of the bracket in the late 1970s, inspired by his love for college basketball and the Kentucky Derby. His son, Damon Stinson, recalls how his father used a ruler and unlined paper to sketch out brackets, requiring participants to pick winners round by round. The winner earned bragging rights rather than a massive payout, but the format was revolutionary.

Bob Stinson’s innovation didn’t stop there. He was an early adopter of technology, using Excel to create electronic brackets and emailing them to participants across the country. Damon Stinson even admitted to peddling his father’s brackets in Catholic school, nearly getting expelled after being caught with $350 and a backpack full of entries. According to Damon, his father truly believed he had invented the first bracket pool, and his travels across the country helped spread the idea far and wide. “He was proud of it,” Damon said. “Instead of just watching the games, let’s fill this out. He self-promoted the idea.”

The Rivalry for Bracket Supremacy

The debate over who truly invented the bracket pool remains unresolved, much like the challenge of picking a perfect bracket. While Jody’s Club Forest in Staten Island stakes its claim as the bar that ignited the billion-dollar industry, Bob Stinson’s family insists he was the original architect of the round-by-round format. Terence Haggerty acknowledges that there’s no concrete proof Jody’s Club was the first, saying, “If somebody said, ‘No, it’s mine,’ go right ahead.” The bar itself doesn’t flaunt its role in March Madness history, with no banners, photos, or framed snapshots commemorating its contribution. Instead, the decor remains a heartfelt tribute to Haggerty’s parents, who opened the bar in 1976.

Despite the lack of official recognition, Jody’s Club Forest became a legendary destination for basketball fans. Customers like Jack Driscoll, who won a six-figure payout in 2003, still fondly recall the excitement of placing their bets. “The cutoff day for submitting tickets was as big as any other holiday around here,” Driscoll said, reminiscing about the chaos and camaraderie that defined the bar’s March Madness experience.

The Golden Era and the End of an Era

At the height of its success, Jody’s Club Forest was a mom-and-pop operation handling millions of dollars in bets. The money was stuffed into cash registers, hidden in houses, and even entrusted to a local nun for safekeeping. The pool became a cultural phenomenon, with participants lining up around the block to submit their entries. Firefighters, police officers, elected officials, and even sports radio personalities like Mike Francesa and Chris “Mad Dog” Russo were among the thousands who flocked to the bar each year. “It was the best week of the year,” Terence Haggerty said, reflecting on the bar’s heyday.

However, the success of the pool eventually attracted unwanted attention. By 2006, the jackpot had reached $1.6 million, with 166,000 entries. The IRS launched an investigation, and Jody Haggerty pleaded guilty to tax-evasion charges, paying restitution and receiving probation. The scrutiny proved too much for the family, and the pool was shut down for good ahead of the 2007 tournament. Terence Haggerty later said, “Part of it killed my father, I