Pool History

“Fastballs Work.”

— Steve Arnold, circa 2011

*Editor's note—I love em dashes, no ai here folks. I'm not a fraud.

Out in rural Western Massachusetts in the shadows of the Berkshires, a group of plucky 13 year old boys were looking to take home the championship of the illustrious Dan Duquette Baseball Tournament. The Eastern Mass Firebirds led by Coach Steve Bessette were unfortunately more focused on playing family feud in the team cabin than on their play in the field but the tales live on for a lifetime. One storyline we should not soon forget was a young Steven Arnold finding a mantra he would carry with him for the rest of his life. 

In these baseball tournaments, it was all hands on decks. Multiple games a day over the course of a weekend meant that everyone's arm was going to be needed to cover some innings. When you run through your top starters, you are forced to bring in the guys who can simply throw it over the plate.

Enter Steve Arnold. "Big S" was usually known for his play in the outfield and good wood but on this warm summer evening he was forced to take the bump. While Steve may know his way around the bump now, back in 2013 his arsenal featured one pitch and one pitch only—the four seam fastball. Now this is where my memory gets hazy, I do not recall the outcome of the game or Steve's pitching line. But one thing I will never forget was after every inning Steve would come to the dugout, collect his high fives and tell everyone, "Fastballs Work."

After a four-year hiatus, everyone’s favorite outfielder rose from the ashes to construct one of the most chalk-filled bracket these eyes have ever seen. Steve picked only three minor first-round upsets—by the Sweet 16, he had retained 15 of the top 16 overall teams. Much to my chagrin, it worked. Some call it chalk—others call it "the way their dad fills out a bracket."

For the first time in since 2008 the NCAA Tournament featured all four No. 1 seeds advancing to the Final Four. It was a quiet first weekend as well, as only three double-digit seeds made it out of the first round. As the top dogs rumbled through March, scores were up across all levels of our pool.

Eight members correctly pegged the Florida Gators as national champions and the race for the ring was as contested as ever. Ultimately it came down to 3-time champion Chris Miller and Steve Arnold in a deadlock heading into the national championship game— a true David vs. Golliath as DFT was poised for it's second straight tiebreaker finish.

Many DFT historians will tell you, when it comes to picking tiebreakers, the  number you want is the “Romano 145”. But both finalists strayed from the script, never known for being math-guys, they were hoping for a shootout.

Steve: 146

Chris: 155

The Gators ultimately defeated the Houston Cougars 65–63 (128 total points). Neither were particularly close but folks in March sometimes close is good enough! Steve was able to claim his first ring. A true masterclass in keeping things simple—Four seam fastball down the middle, field the grounder, throw to first, fastballs work. Steve accumulated a DFT-record 1670 points, shattering the previous mark of 1390.  In a year with a record-high 33 participants, Steve was able to outlast the field to cut down the nets.

While the scores were up across DFT, the fun was undoubtedly down. Sure, the stars shined—Walter Clayton Jr, Cooper Flagg, and Paige Bueckers (shoutout women) all played tremendous basketball—but March needs more.

March needs the balding super-senior sniper who hangs 26 on a 2-seed before leaving for a desk job alongside Limu Emu and Doug. It needs a school with a $0 NIL budget toppling oil tycoons. We didn't get those gimmicks in 2025. Basketball purists will say, "This is how it should be—the best teams playing the best basketball," to which I say, "I put Lipscomb in my Sweet 16 and they lost by a million; please hand me a loaded gun."

Even our usual pool storylines felt muted—

Ryan Bessette, our favorite lovable loser, has seemingly squashed his demons with two straight years above 900 points.

The bottom finishers, Jack McKay and Tom Regan (both of TMBJ fame, the ladies know), offered no real shenanigans.

And well it is certainly funny that Sam Rothschild hasn’t claimed a ring despite being in the field since 2012, I can’t bring myself to mock him since I too have the same 13 year drought.

So, how should we remember this tournament? It belongs somewhere between "sharing a middle school ceiling tile with someone you aren’t actually friends with" and "winning a Cape Ann basketball championship." In other words, a resounding "Yeah, alright."

If you take anything away from this year, let it be this—be careful around Florida’s coach Todd Golden. I have seen enough in my day to know that he is hiding some dark secrets behind that tightly zipped, loose fitting quarter zip.

Stay safe out there, friends

Baseball has extra innings, soccer has penalty kicks, hockey does something with pucks—but when Duck’s Famous Tourney ends in a tie, all bets are off.

On the eve of UConn vs. Purdue in the 2024 national championship, notorious taddins Alex Romano and Matt Wolfenden were deadlocked at 1,070 points. With both picking Hurley’s Huskies to take down Big Ugly Zach Edey, DFT would be decided by a points-off tiebreaker for the first time in history. Three measly points separated Romano and Wolfenden from bracket immortality: Romano at 145, Wolfenden at 148.

On April 8, 2024, Coach Dan Hurley delivered one final masterclass, capping off one of the greatest two-year runs in tournament history. UConn made the strategic decision to leave Purdue’s 7'4" moose uncovered, daring them to win with twos. The result? Purdue went 1-for-7 from three, despite being second in the nation in three-point percentage. Making one three-pointer may work in the Cape Ann League under Coach Maravelis, but in modern basketball, it’s the equivalent of asking Rogers to name an animal in the hallway—only going to end in disappointment.

Final score: UConn 75, Purdue 60. That’s a total of 135 points.

And just like that, Alexander “The Rim Protector” Romano was crowned DFT champion—not by sheer dominance, but by a spreadsheet formality. Fitting, considering he was raised under the roof of the one and only Database Ninja. One has to wonder if Don himself coined the now-legendary “Romano 145,” a number that will live on in league history.

Romano joins the 1-time ring holder club alongside myself, KB Neyman, Rivvy, Wolfie*, Depari, Paul, and Junebug Goldman. Meanwhile, Caporale and Miller remain our only multi-time champs. For fans of bracket diversity, look away now—Romano becomes the 14th straight white champion. The DFT Board is investigating, but, let’s be real, when the participant pool is made up of “white-suburban p*ssies from North Andover,” what can you do?

Romano and Wolfenden set the all-time high score in DFT history with 1,390 points, edging out Luke Caporale’s 1,340 in 2018. As for Wolfenden, he once again found himself so close, yet so far from a title—this time in a non-strike year (see: 2015). But let’s not forget, this isn’t the first time Wolfenden has made an ill-advised attempt at adding three points.

Flashback to 2012: a Freshman vs. JV scrimmage in the NAMS gymnasium. A young Wolfie steps into a top-of-the-key three, only for Coach Teddy Ballgames to blow the whistle and stop the game, bewildered.

“Is that a shot you take?” he asked.

Wolfie, deadpan: “Yes.”

Silence. Play resumes. An all-time moment from one of the DFT founders.

This year’s DFT pool was the biggest in history, as we expanded into the older ranks to add a few new participants. Two new Wolfgangs—Patrick Jr. and Sr.—along with Chris Gorman and my own brother, Matthew Varoutsos, joined our illustrious competition.

Results were a mixed bag. Patrick Jr. brought up the rear with a dismal 350 points—well below the dreaded Bessette Line (400), a place no one wants to be. Meanwhile, Varoutsos and Gorman—two people I find strikingly similar—had decent showings, finishing 7th and 13th, respectively.

But it was Wolfgang Sr. who made the biggest splash. Relaxing in Miami at his new beach house, he pushed it to the limit as the only member to pencil in Purdue as the national champion. Had the Boilermakers sealed the deal, he would have stolen the show. Instead, they fell one game short, leaving him just shy of glory.

For all my ball watchers out there, the darling of the tournament was big beef DJ Burns, who led 11-seed NC State on a magical Final Four run after an improbable ACC Tournament title. Burns cemented himself in the Hall of March Madness Gimmicks, standing alongside: scrappy white guards, rec-spec’d sharpshooters, and big men with buttery soft touch around the rim.

Joining him in Gimmdom was Jack Gohlke, Oakland’s three-point menace, who drilled TEN threes in a stunning upset of 3-seed Kentucky. After suffering a first-round exit to a double-digit seed for the second time in three years, Coach John Calipari—best known for his time at UMass Amherst—hightailed it to Arkansas.

The biggest DFT pool in history delivered a thrilling conclusion, with UConn cementing its dynasty, Romano claiming his first title, and Wolfenden once again left wondering what could have been.

In spite of it all, Sheila would be proud.

Allow me to take you on a journey back to 2014. It's a crisp March Monday morning and several members of DFT are sitting by the NAHS third floor lockers awaiting the morning bell. Señor McCann just walked by and praised Rivvy for his Hartford Whalers shirt, "Yah know I sat outside the stadium to try to save the team." But none of us care. Our focus is on the bracket that was just released the night before - attention centered on the overall 1 seed Florida's path to March immortality. Paul "Clunks" Wolstromer has his eyes set elsewhere though, "What if Ginger's UConn Huskies simply do it again?" The 7-seeded Huskies underachieved throughout the regular season but were led by star guard Shabazz Napier - drawing comparisons to the Kemba Walker led Huskies that won the tournament in 2011. "Can a seven seed really win it all?" we collectively shrug.

Much to Paul's dismay nobody had the vision to take the future champion Huskies in 2014. Aiding Chris Miller to his first tournament ring, which he accomplished without correctly picking the national champion -  a feat that would not be repeated until Miller yet again took out the trash in his historic 3rd title run in 2023.

The 2023 UConn Huskies were not quite the same as the previous champion teams from Storrs. They underperformed in Big East conference play and lost their conference tournament to my Marquette Golden Eagles, earning them a 4 seed when the bracket was revealed. However many analytic metrics touted the Huskies as a top five team in the nation - highlighting them as one of the most under-seeded teams in recent Tourney history. The Huskies Moneyballed their way through the dance, stacking double-digit point victories en route to their third championship during the DFT era. But naturally the bright minds in DFT were captivated by the shiny toys on the 1 and 2 seed lines. Yet again ignoring the UConn Huskies entirely, and opening the door for Chris "The Trash Man" Miller to capitalize on another year where nobody is able to pick the correct national champion.

Chris Miller now has three DFT rings which certainly opens dynasty conversations. I am hesitant to bring out GOAT talk as I have yet to really see Chris put up historic numbers in a title run. His style of bracketeering lends itself to a high-floor but a low ceiling - tending to play it safe in terms of picking March upsets. To me, Miller is closer to Terry Bradshaw than he is to Tom Brady in terms of bracket stats. But rings are forever and who am I to diminish the all-time greatness that Miller has proven to have in March. Give him his flowers folks, one ring is hard to earn, two earns you a lifetime of respect and three is unprecedented March history.

Elsewhere in 2023 DFT members were battling with one of the stranger brackets I can remember. We saw 1 seeded Purdue fall to a 16 seeded Fairleigh Dickinson, a New Jersey team led by a Who from Whoville. The Final Four included the 4 seeded UConn and three longshots - 5 Miami, 5 SDSU and 9 Florida Atlantic. Put this all together, and you get the lowest average pool score in DFT data-tracking history (534.3). I do have to say this wasn't the best tournament in terms of memorable games - my favorite moment was undoubtedly watching Kihei Clarke throw away Virginia's chances vs Furman in one of the tourney's opening games. You can relive the best moments here, though I'm not sure it is worth your time.

Everyone's favorite lovable loser, Ryan Bessette, was able to emerge from the depths of the cellar in 2023 - finishing tied for 12th place with 500 points. There is work left to be done for Mr. Bessette but I'd be remiss to not celebrate this monumental accomplishment. Bringing up the rear in 2023 was Rob Cou-you-mjian - Bobby Brackets narrowly escaped the Bessette line (320) with a last-place score of 360. Sam "Year of the Jew" Rothschild, nearly found his first elusive ring but ultimately fell short of the crown by 40 points, settling into second place with a score of 760.

Jim Nantz gave his final sign-off from March after the Final Four in Houston wrapping up a historic 32-year run as the voice of March. His buttery voice will be missed but the stage is now set for DFT Hall of Vinter Ian Eagle to make his rightful claim to the March broadcaster throne.

For those eager for more 2023 content you can read all about the year that was in my yearly review.

It was supposed to be the "Year of K." The stage was set for the Duke Blue Devils to go on one final March run with Coach K at the helm, who announced before the season that it would be his last. The notorious Blue Devils came in as 2 seed with big dreams but surprisingly only a single member of our pool chose to ride with them as their national champion - Christoffer "K" Keane. Duke was playing great, cruising all the way to the final four where they would meet up with their longtime rival 8-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels. The script was falling right into place and Chris was on the cusp of cashing in on the Year of K. But the only fairytale story that would unfold was in the UNC backcourt as point guard Caleb asked Coach K, "Can you feel the love tonight?" pouring in 28 points en route to a four point victory that would end Duke's season. Christoffer's bracket had been busted and he was left singing "Hakuna Mataddin" as he would have no worries for the rest of the Tourney's days.

On the other side of the bracket another blue blood was quietly taking care of business. The 1 seed Kansas Jayhawks were selected to win 8.3%of brackets on ESPN, the 3rd highest choice in the field. Surprisngly, in the DFT pool only one member chose the Jayhawks to cut down the nets - Jacob "Junebug" Goldman. And cut down the nets they did, marching right through the tournament in a run that culminated with a three point win over UNC clinching Junebug G the top spot in Duck's Famous Tourney. What is there to say about Goldman? For starters it is important to note that he is the second Jewish member to earn a ring. This wouldn't be a storyline if it wasn't for Sam Rothschild, who claims before every tourney "This is the year of the Jew." While Sam has technically been right about that two times, he remains our only Jewish member to never win the pool. Sam Marches into 2023 with ten tournaments under his belt and absolutely nothing to show for it. As for Jacob, he made his first appearance in Duck's Famous Tourney way back in 2016, where he finished somewhere outside of first (hand up I didn't start recording the placements until 2019, that's on me). He then took a 5-year hiatus during his collegiate years, choosing to focus on his Indiana University fraternity and social media influencing (@JakeGoldy28 on tiktok). Returning in 2022, Goldman won the tournament with ease finishing with 1120 points. He beat out Matt Driscoll who finished in second with 740 points and Chris Keane who rounded out the top three with 710 points.

With all the storylines of March - buzzer beaters, upsets, cinderellas - the one thing that stands out to me is the abysmal bracket that Ryan Bessette puts together every year. For my money, Bessette is the real story of 2022 finishing in dead last with 330 points for the THIRD straight year (he's only been here for four folks). For once however he was not alone as Joey Kramer joined him in the cellar with 330 points. Thankfully, Ryan managed to barely edge out the all time low score of 320 which he "Bessette" himself in 2021. It truly is incredible to witness the run that he is on. It is almost more impressive than winning the pool when you consider he has had three straight seasons with the worst picks. You gotta think if he just makes his first round picks then goes back and reverses all of them he just might win the pool. The algorithm is there, the implementation is not. DFT history buffs know that Bessette has a historical cloud of taint over his head. Back in 2013 while not yet an official member of the pool it is rumored that Bessette was the guiding light in Brian Rivet's quest to a ring. Rivet and Bessette won the pool backing the corrupt Slick Rick Pitino whose Cardinals were National Champs. Could it be the curse of Luke Hancock haunting Bessette to this day? In 2022, Bessette chose 2-seeded Kentucky as his national champion. The Wildcats were chosen to win by 6.9% (nice) of brackets on ESPN but only two people chose them in our pool - Bessette and 2-time champion Luke Caporale. For Luke it was all but a death sentence when he landed on the same winner as Bessette when the brackets revealed at noon tip-off. Does anyone remember what happened to the 2022 Kentucky Wildcats? Surely with national player of the year Oscar Tshiebwe and a fleet of NBA prospects they made a deep run, right? Bad news folks, they were a first round exit to the Cinderella of the year St. Peter's Peacocks. The plucky 15 seed led by Shaheen Holloway rode a fierce defense and mustachioed Doug Edert all the way to the Elite 8 where they ultimately fell to UNC. As for Bessette, he lost his champion on opening weekend yet again. The rest of his final four did nothing to help his cause - 1 seed Gonzaga, 7 seed Ohio State and 5 seed Iowa all failed to reach the Elite 8. 

It really is an incredible feat that Ryan keeps earning these blurbs. Go look back at the 2021 recap and you will find me similarly befuddled on what Bessette has been able to accomplish. I hope 2023 is different but the kid is truly a real wild card. All we can do is sit back and appreciate the Bessette Last Place Dynasty.

After an unprecedented year spent locked down in our own homes, we emerged in March of 2021, masks-in-hand, ready to watch our beloved basketball tournament. In our return to action we brought in 18 eager members - all anxious and ready for the chaos of March. With Covid-19 still prevalent around the world, the 2021 Tourney came with some marked differences from years past. As creatures of habit when high noon hits on the Thursday after Selection Sunday, we are all ready to see the fate of our brackets begin to unfold but this year we had to wait until Friday for the games to tip-off. An extra day of anxious tinkering surely won and lost bracket pools across the nation. Of course no change was more important than the lack of fans allowed in the arenas on gameday. With social distancing restrictions in place, fans were limited to 25% in-person capacity while the majority of us watched from home with piped-in crowd noise echoing throughout our living rooms. It is undoubtedly fair to wonder how sold-out crowds may have altered the course of the tournament but one thing is for sure - the 2021 NCAA Tournament was one like we had never seen before.

It was truly a year of breakthroughs as Covid vaccines began to roll out but no breakthrough was more important than that of Paul Wolstromer and his beloved Baylor Bears. The Baylor Bears marched through the NCAA Tournament knocking of several high-profile teams  along the way - Villanova, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Houston - before defeating the undefeated Gonzaga Bulldogs to win the national championship by a score of 86-70. It was only fitting that Paul would win his first pool championship on the back of Baylor as he has been a loyal fan since joining Duck's Famous Tourney in 2012. After 9 long seasons of painful tourney upsets, RJ Hunter, Makai Mason's Yale, and his champion Georgetown Hoyas losing in the first round of the 2013 tournament, Paul finally conquered his demons and cut down the nets in 2021. The 2021 Baylor Bears were elected into the Duck's Famous Tourney Hall of Vintage class of 2021 alongside the fabled Baylor Moist Cap. As a pillar in Duck's Famous Tourney and diehard sports fans of several poverty franchises (Washington Commanders, looking at you) you would be hard-pressed to find a more deserving March Madness Pool winner than Paul in 2021.  "The Moist Cap is on M'lads" and it will stay on - Paul and the 2021 Baylor Bears forever etched in history as champions of Duck's Famous Tourney. 

Elsewhere around the pool only 3 people correctly chose Baylor as the National Champion - your humble and handsome commissioner and record-keeper Brian Varoutsos and the pool's resident ginger Jack McKay. Brian was able to secure second place in the pool while third place went to two-time champion Chris Miller. After Paul's breakthrough ring, the longest tenured ring-less member of the pool is Sam Rothschild, who did himself no favors in 2021 finishing in 17th place. The chalk champion pick of our pool was the undefeated 1-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs who were chosen to win by 8 out of 18 members. Gonzaga nearly completed the undefeated season but ultimately fell short in the championship game, securing the win for Paul who picked the correct championship matchup and outcome. Other inductees into the 2021 Hall of Vintage included the original Duck's Famous Tourney binder and Oral Roberts standout guard Max Abmas. Abmas led 15 seeded Oral Bob on a historic run to the sweet 16, averaging 26.7 PPG in three tournament games. 

Possibly the most impressive thing to come out of the 2021 bracket pool was yet another disastrous attempt at making a somewhat decent bracket by Ryan Bessette. After finding himself in the basement in 2019 with a measly 550 points, Bessette returned in 2021 to set a new record low score of 320 points. His champion West Virginia Mountaineers did not even see the Sweet 16 after they were befuddled by the trademark Syracuse 2-3 zone in the round of 32.  Bessette, pictured here, remains as confident as ever in his basketball analysis but you really have to wonder if it is time for him to change up his strategy.

Duck's Famous Tourney was set to celebrate its 10th year anniversary in 2020 only to be historically denied by the Covid-19 Pandemic. In the first year of our lives without a March Madness Tournament we were all reminded that some things are bigger than basketball. Our hearts go out to the family and friends lost worldwide due to the Covid-19 Virus.

Duck's Famous Tourney began in the Lord's year 2011 with founding members Luke Caporale, Chris Miller, Matt Wolfenden, Kyle Neyman and yours truly Brian Varoutsos. Little did we know as humble eighth graders at North Andover Middle School that the Tourney would be with us for the next decade and beyond. When we began our journey all the way back in 2011, I was nothing more than a marble-brained idiot who did not think to record any historical data of bracket scores and it would take me until 2019 before I began to keep complete records. The pool points scored from 2011-2018 have been lost forever deep in the archives of ESPN but the storylines we cultivated along the way will live forever. There are only three certainties in life: death, taxes, and Duck's Famous Tourney in March. 

With our new digital home we have entered the third era of Duck's Famous Tourney history. Who could forget the Scrappy Green Notebook era from 2011-2013? Forged in the bowels of NAMS the lime green pentel notebook had a cactus drawn on the front and was fitted with a custom duct tape pocket that was used to hold all the crisp $20 entries throughout the tourney. Only two things were kept as records - people who paid and the name of the champion. The Scrappy Green Notebook met a bitter end on a cold winter day in 2013 when my own brother Matthew Varoutsos, known for his frequent bouts of anger and love of Thor Ragnorok, ripped the notebook to shreds in a fit of rage. I do not remember what fueled the outburst but Matthew was responsible for ending the notebook and all the memories it carried. A truly sad day in DFT history.

Next came the golden age of the binder. As seen in the Hall Of Vintage, the binder held all records from 2014-2018. The cover of the binder was a Microsoft Paint amalgamation of logos representing the 7 teams that we used on PS3 NCAA 2010 in Classy Jim's Basement. These rosters were the birthplace of "taint" as we always juiced the ratings of our teams in a battle for video game supremacy. The binder also came fitted with a money pocket but it has not been utilized since 2015 when we transitioned to virtual Venmo payments. The handwritten binder kept information including tourney rules and regulations, paid members, and past champions. In 2018, I began the process of keeping records of bracket score data by recording the top 3 and bottom 3 scorers. I quickly realized that a better method would be to keep ALL scores and data on this very custom website, ushering us into the modern DFT era in 2019.

Now let us take a journey back in time as I try to recollect all the moments and storylines that have unfolded in our pool's decorated history. In 2011, I pulled off the coup of the century by snaking $80 away from 4 unsuspecting middle school suckers.  On the back of March great Kemba Walker I rode the champion Uconn Huskies to glory,  besting Matt Wolfenden, Luke Caporale, Chris Miller, and Kyle Neyman in a landslide victory. One can only imagine that I had the all time highest bracket score but folks we will never know for certain. I maintain that this was not only the most impressive champion bracket ever assembled but also the cleanest and fairest ring ever won. In the midst of our pubescent coming of age, the pool had yet to see scandal or taint - it was college basketball in its purest form. Like Bilbo Baggins before me, I embarked on a great adventure filled with fantasy and whimsy that culminated in me collecting the inaugural tournament ring. One DFT ring to rule them all. Of little importance is the fact that I have not been able to climb the summit since that first tournament and many long standing members have questioned the validity of a ring won in such a small and feeble pool. But history is history folks. If you want to asterisk my ring then I hope you can look yourself in the mirror when you also asterisk the accomplishments of Babe Ruth and Bill Russell. I started this pool, I hold the pen that writes the history and I won the first and best ring. These are simply the facts. I have remained a scandal-free and impartial bracket commissioner for years serving with respect and integrity every step of the way. Thank you me.

2012 was supposed to be the last tournament ever played if you were living in accordance to the Mayan Calendar and honestly at the time I was fairly convinced the apocalypse was impending. Quite Frankly that is really all I remember from the that year, fear that it would be our last. Alas, Kyle Neyman won the tournament selecting Kentucky as his national champion. The Wildcats had a historic season led by unibrow'd star Anthony Davis beating Kansas in the championship game. That year also saw the pool expand to nine members as Paul Wolstromer, Matt Driscoll, Sam Rothschild and Rob Couyoumjian joined the fray. However a dark cloud was looming away from the tournament as great scandal had emerged. The curse of Luke Hancock was born amongst a cloud of taint while playing NCAA 2010 in Classy Jim's basement. I am not entirely sure of the origins of the curse but I believe it had to do with Kyle Neyman having two custom NCAA teams, Louisville and Indiana. Hancock's ratings were in dispute and a curse was created. Some maintain the curse still reigns supreme, while others debate the curse was lifted in 2013 when Hancock won the tournament's most outstanding player award and the Louisville Cardinals cut down the nets in Atlanta. All I know is that Kyle Neyman has not won a ring since the onset of the Curse of Luke Hancock.

The most nondescript tourney occurred in 2013 as then college basketball novice Brian Rivet won the pool. Rivet has since become a gambling sharp which has given his 2013 win more credence. However, rumors have swirled that Rivet only won due to the consultation of Ryan Bessette, a classmate who whispered sweet nothings to Rivet leading him to correctly pick the championship matchup of Louisville vs Michigan. Known lovingly within his family as "Louis" it is fitting that Rivet won alongside Louisville. However, a slick Rick Pitino recruiting scandal has since vacated Louisville's 2013 national championship which has lended further credence to the existence of the Curse of Luke Hancock. The NCAA violations have also made many wonder if Brian should face similar punishment. As for Bessette, he officially joined the pool in 2018 and has been a basement dweller since.

Who could forget the strike year of 2015, bracket-wide funds were low and many members refused to pay. The tournament continued that year with 11 members but $0 in prize money. Matt Wolfenden took home first place as he chose his beloved Duke Blue Devils as national champion and the rat-faced Coach K finally delivered. Could we consider this a valid championship without any prize? Several league members called for Matt's ring to be vacated much like the vacated driver's seat of his beloved GMC truck "Sheila" which he had to sell shortly after the tournament to make up for the $0 prize. Losing Sheila was especially heartbreaking for Matt's Heavenly Donuts' lover at the time, Ash. But this story isn't about Ash. It is about Matt's lone ring being officially written into the history books with a big fat asterisk. An asterisk that remained on Wolfenden's title until 2018 when the league committee decided the ring was valid. To this day many members do not respect Matt's ring and he joins me in the "Potentially Tainted Ring Club." A club that I absolutely will never recognize and that my friends is a promise.

As of 2019, Luke Caporale and Chris Miller are the only members to have two rings in their trophy case. Miller took home the crown in 2014 and 2016, while Caporale is the only member to repeat as champion winning in both 2017 and 2018. I really don't have much to say on these four championship runs other than that we were fortunate to witness such a display of greatness. Luke and Chris have taken part in every year of DFT pool history and have remained consistent threats to win the top prize. In 2014, Chris won the pool without correctly picking the 7-seeded Uconn Huskies as national champion. This was the only time in history where the winner of the bracket did not have the correct national champion. Elsewhere in 2014 this was happening. As for "Trustworthy Luke," he correctly chose UNC and Villanova as national champions in back to back seasons, culminating with the all time record in points with 1340 points in 2018. He narrowly beat Sean Lampron who put up 1330 that same year. You have to think Sean regrets a few first round selections which ultimately cost him a chance at his first ring. We can sit here and debate all day who the Duck's Famous Tourney GOAT is but it is hard to argue against the resumes of both Miller and Caporale. (Though perhaps the first ever champion and owner of the one ring to rule them all should be in the conversation, food for thought).

The longest tenured ring-less members as of 2019 were Paul Wolstromer and Sam Rothschild, both having found no success since joining the pool in 2012. Paul has been on the wrong side of several tournament upsets including Florida Gulf Coast dunking all over his champion Georgetown Hoyas en route to a day one 2v15 upset in 2013. Two years later Paul was left "gagging himself with a spoon" after the infamous RJ and Ron Hunter combination knocked off the 3-seeded Baylor Bears in a historic buzzer-beating upset. Rothschild on the other hand simply can't get over the hump, claiming "It's the year of the Jew" (his own proud heritage) since he first joined. It is important to note Duck's Famous Tourney has had a Jewish winner before, as Kyle Neyman took home the crown in 2012*. Admittedly, our tournament is not known for its diversity but we are always accepting of any and all people willing to stake their buy-in for a chance at the crown. (*Editor's Notes: Paul won his first tournament in 2021 riding his own Baylor Bears to March glory. Jacob Goldman was the second Jewish champion in 2022, very tough for Sam to see).

The most recent champion in 2019 was Samuel DePari in what was his first appearance in Duck's famous Tourney. He won by correctly selecting the national champion Virginia Cavaliers, a team that was able to complete a historic revenge arc after being on the wrong end of the first 16 over 1 upset in NCAA history the year prior. Many of the tourney's longtime members were "disturbed and distraught" that a rookie member waltzed in and stole a ring.

The 2019 pool featured  a record high 17 members and the future of the pool appears to be bright. Duck's Famous Tourney has officially entered into its modern digital age. Everyone's scores, stories, and history will be kept forever on our new permanent internet home. Thank you for reading the illustrious history of our group and here's to many more taint-free years. Beware the ides of March.