NEW YORK — Imagine a place where an urban legend of college basketball was born, right in one of New York City’s boroughs. It’s a tale of the NCAA Tournament bracket, supposedly taking its first breath in Staten Island. This wasn’t just an ordinary bar tale; it was the brainchild of an enterprising Irish pub owner whose knack for business led to a simple yet captivating idea. For a mere ten dollars, patrons could select the Final Four teams and predict the national champion, turning the pub into a buzzing hub of excitement where fortunes could be won.
Over time, the modest pool transformed dramatically, gaining momentum through decades filled with legendary basketball figures like Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. Word spread, and Jody’s Club Forest in the West Brighton area emerged as a significant player in the world of bracket betting, though there are whispers of other contenders staking similar claims. Opened by Mary and Jody Haggerty in 1976, the club invented a betting pool by the next college basketball season to draw in more patrons. The concept was straightforward: pay a modest entry fee and pick the Final Four teams, the champion, and use total points as a tiebreaker in a winner-take-all contest. The pool experienced explosive growth over the years, amassing thousands of entries and later thousands of dollars in prizes, peaking at $1.6 million in 2006 before its untimely end.
Meanwhile, in Kentucky, home to basketball fervor and the Louisville Slugger, one man might also lay claim to pioneering the bracket craze. Bob Stinson, a postal worker with a love for recreational sports, borrowed from his softball league and Kentucky Derby betting slips to craft a bracket for the 1978 NCAA Tournament. Stinson’s keen interest led him to draw up brackets and initiate a casual competition among friends — a time of fun, friendly wagers, and a display of basketball knowledge. His inventive spirit led him to create one of the earliest electronic brackets using Excel, spreading the practice far and wide with each passing March.
Proving the rightful originator of the March Madness pool is just as daunting as completing a flawless bracket. Yet, Damon Stinson, Bob’s son, believes wholeheartedly in his father’s legacy. Bob Stinson traveled extensively, introducing his bracket concept nationwide at a time when such an idea was unheard of.
In the heart of Staten Island, Jody’s Club went without any visible proof of its storied past in bracket betting. Terence Haggerty, continuing his family’s business, reflects that while others may lay their claims, it’s not something his family put up on display. There are no records of ticket winners, only vivid memories from patrons like Jack Driscoll, who fondly recall the days leading up to each tournament. Driscoll once savored his winnings by investing in home improvements, turning a gambling windfall into a new kitchen.
The club’s pool became a family-run venture that managed hefty sums without the aid of modern technology. Crowds would line the streets, eager to participate in what had become a March tradition, and the collection of entries often spilled over into neighboring establishments. The operation was, as Haggerty recalls, a thrilling if chaotic, part of each year.
With the jackpot soaring near one million dollars in 2004, and even higher in subsequent years, regulatory scrutiny mounted. Media buzz brought the pool under the IRS’s watchful eyes, culminating in a tax-evasion case that ended Jody’s March Madness run. Jody Haggerty’s guilty plea marked the end of an era, and following his passing in 2016, the pool was never resurrected.
In the wake of these events, Terence Haggerty remains firm in his resolve, perceiving any reconsideration of the pool as too painful after his father’s ordeal. Yet, he acknowledges the indelible mark his family’s club left on March Madness lore. Each March, the bar continues to attract aficionados of the sport, respectful of its contributions to the cultural phenomenon of bracket betting, even if its precise origins remain a thrilling mystery. As Haggerty puts it, their creation is unmatched and iconic, echoing through the tournament each year.
