# Current Pinball News Hall of Fame Members **Source:** Pinball News Website **Type:** article **Published:** 2023-05-30 **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.pinballnews.com/site/2023/05/30/current-hall-of-fame-members --- ## Analysis This article presents a comprehensive list of Pinball News Hall of Fame inductees from 2008 to 2022, recognizing key figures in pinball design, operations, community organization, and historical preservation. The hall of fame ceremonies were traditionally held at UK national pinball shows, with inductions resuming in 2022 after a two-year hiatus. Recipients span legendary designers, manufacturers, operators, historians, and community organizers who have shaped the modern pinball industry. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] The Pinball News Hall of Fame induction ceremonies were originally held at the UK Pinball Show (2008-2009), then the UK Pinball Party (2010-2015), with a hiatus until UK Pinfest resumed presentations in 2022 — _Article explicitly states the progression of venues and organizers across years_ - [HIGH] Lyman F. Sheats Jr. is an ace rules programmer and designer who developed and coded many of today's most popular titles — _2022 induction citation; aligns with KB entry on Lyman as legendary code designer_ - [HIGH] George Gomez heads up the game design team at Stern Pinball — _2013 induction description; aligns with KB identifying Gomez as Chief Creative Officer and Head of Product Development at Stern_ - [HIGH] Steve Ritchie is a legendary pinball designer with a string of hit titles from five decades in the industry — _2009 induction citation; consistent with KB identifying Ritchie as legendary designer currently at Jersey Jack Pinball_ - [HIGH] Gary Stern founded Data East Pinball, Sega Pinball, and Stern Pinball with a lifetime in the business — _2010 induction description; confirms founding role in three major manufacturers_ ### Notable Quotes > "Team who support numerous shows, introduce many new players and raise huge sums for charity" > — **Pinball News (on Northern Lights Pinball)**, 2022 induction > _Describes community support and charitable contribution as hall of fame criteria_ > "Ace rules programmer and designer who developed and coded many of today's most popular titles" > — **Pinball News (on Lyman F. Sheats Jr.)**, 2022 induction > _Emphasizes code design excellence as recognized contribution to pinball_ > "Founder of Heighway Pinball and organiser of the UK Pinball Party shows" > — **Pinball News (on Andrew Heighway)**, 2012 induction > _Recognizes both manufacturing and show organization contributions_ > "World-class pinball player and founder of the IFPA to promote competitive pinball worldwide" > — **Pinball News (on Josh Sharpe)**, 2015 induction > _Highlights founding role in competitive pinball infrastructure (IFPA)_ > "Legendary game designer for Williams who recently passed at the age of 101" > — **Pinball News (on Steve Kordek)**, 2012 induction > _Recognizes longevity and legendary status in pinball history_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | Lyman F. Sheats Jr. | person | Ace rules programmer and designer; 2022 hall of fame inductee; known for coding popular pinball titles | | George Gomez | person | Head of game design team at Stern Pinball; 2013 hall of fame inductee; legendary pinball designer | | Steve Ritchie | person | Legendary pinball designer with five decades in industry; 2009 hall of fame inductee; currently at Jersey Jack Pinball | | Andrew Heighway | person | Founder of Heighway Pinball; organizer of UK Pinball Party shows; 2012 hall of fame inductee | | Gary Stern | person | Founder of Data East Pinball, Sega Pinball, and Stern Pinball; 2010 hall of fame inductee | | Josh Sharpe | person | World-class pinball player; founder of IFPA; 2015 hall of fame inductee | | Jack Guarnieri | person | Founder of Jersey Jack Pinball and Pinball Sales; 2011 hall of fame inductee | | Barry Oursler | person | Famous Williams pinball designer; designer of Pinbot and Comet/Cyclone/Hurricane series; 2014 hall of fame inductee; deceased | | John Trudeau | person | Pinball designer with long career creating popular and innovative designs; 2008 hall of fame inductee | | Martin Ayub | person | Editor of Pinball News; owner of UK Pinball Group; travels to report and compete in tournaments; 2008 hall of fame inductee | | Paul Brock | person | Founder and host of Pinball Info website and community discussion forum; 2022 hall of fame inductee | | Northern Lights Pinball | organization | Team supporting shows, introducing new players, raising funds for charity; 2022 hall of fame inductee | | Pinball News | organization | Independent online pinball media outlet; established Hall of Fame in 2008 to recognize industry contributors | | UK Pinball Show | event | UK national pinball show organized by Nick Bennett in 2008-2009; original venue for Hall of Fame ceremonies | | UK Pinball Party | event | UK national pinball show organized by Andrew Heighway from 2010-2015; hosted Hall of Fame ceremonies | | UK Pinfest | event | UK national pinball show launched by Phillip Murphy in 2018; currently hosts Hall of Fame induction ceremonies | | IFPA | organization | International Federation of Pinball Associations; founded by Josh Sharpe to promote competitive pinball worldwide | | Stern Pinball | company | Modern pinball manufacturer; founded by Gary Stern; George Gomez heads design team | | Jersey Jack Pinball | company | Pinball manufacturer founded by Jack Guarnieri; Steve Ritchie among its designers | | Heighway Pinball | company | Pinball manufacturer founded by Andrew Heighway | ### Topics - **Primary:** Pinball Hall of Fame / Industry Recognition, Legendary Designers and Game Design, Pinball Community Organization and Events - **Secondary:** Pinball Manufacturing and Business, Competitive Pinball and IFPA, Pinball History and Preservation, UK Pinball Show Organization ### Sentiment **Positive** (0.95) — Article is celebratory in tone, honoring accomplished figures across pinball history. No criticism or controversy present. Focus is on recognizing contributions and achievements across design, business, community, and historical preservation roles. ### Signals - **[event_signal]** Pinball News Hall of Fame ceremonies held at UK national pinball shows (UK Pinball Show 2008-2009, UK Pinball Party 2010-2015, UK Pinfest 2022-present); recognition of key industry figures (confidence: high) — Article explicitly traces evolution of induction ceremony venues from 2008 to 2022 across three different UK show organizations - **[personnel_signal]** George Gomez transitioned from individual designer to heading game design team at Stern Pinball, indicating organizational growth and leadership structure (confidence: high) — 2013 induction describes Gomez as 'A famous pinball designer in his own rights but now heading up the game design team at Stern Pinball' --- ## Transcript # The latest Hall of Fame inductees are traditionally announced at the UK’s national pinball show. In 2008 and 2009 that was the *UK Pinball Show* organised by Nick Bennett. In 2010 Andrew Heighway took the reins with the *UK Pinball Party* which continued until 2015. After a hiatus for two years, Phillip Murphy launched the *UK Pinfest* show in 2018 which continues to this day, with the induction presentations resuming in 2022. Here are all the inductees to the Pinball News Hall of Fame, also incorporating those inducted under its original name of the UK Pinball Group Hall of Fame: **2022** The Hall of Fame returns to the UK’s national pinball show. UK Pinfest is held at the Mercure Daventry Court and the induction ceremony took place in the main hall on Sunday 28th August, 2022. ![](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/hall-of-fame/hof2022-nlp-300x230.png) **Northern Lights Pinball** Team who support numerous shows, introduce many new players and raise huge sums for charity. **Paul Brock**Founder and host of the hugely popular Pinball Info website and community discussion forum. ![](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/hall-of-fame/hof2022-paul-brock-300x282.png) ![](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/hall-of-fame/hof2022-lyman-sheats-2-279x300.png) **Lyman F. Sheats Jr..** Ace rules programmer and designer who developed and coded many of today’s most popular titles. ## --- **2015** For the eighth year of inductions to the UK Pinball Group Hall of Fame, the ceremony continued as part of the UK Pinball Party’s awards dinner as it moved to the Heighway Pinball factory in Merthyr Tydfil on Saturday 22nd August, 2015. ![](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/hall-of-fame/hof2015-joe-balcer-300x250.jpg) **Joe Balcer** Popular game designer at Stern Pinball and now leading the design of Jersey Jack Pinball’s first title. **Matt Vince**Pinball collector and founder of the London Pinball game operation business. ![](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/hall-of-fame/hof2015-matt-vince-300x214.jpg) ![](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/hall-of-fame/hof2015-josh-sharpe-300x194.jpg) **Josh Sharpe** World-class pinball player and founder of the IFPA to promote competitive pinball worldwide. ## --- **2014** The seventh year of inductions to the UK Pinball Group Hall of Fame was held at the Daventry Court Hotel as part of the UK Pinball Party’s awards dinner on Saturday 30th August, 2014. ![](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/hall-of-fame/hof2014-barry-oursler-300x217.jpg) **Barry Oursler**Famous Williams pinball designer of games including the Pinbot and the Comet/Cyclone/Hurricane series. **Dave Willcox**Founder of the Pinball Daze parts business and operator around his native South Wales. ![](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/hall-of-fame/hof2014-dave-willcox-300x215.jpg) ![](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/hall-of-fame/hof2014-rob-berk-mike-pacak-2-300x212.jpg) **Mike Pacak & Rob Berk** Organisers of the annual Pinball Expo in Chicago which was about to celebrate its 30th show. ## --- **2013** The sixth year of inductions to the UK Pinball Group Hall of Fame continued to be held as part of the UK Pinball Party’s awards dinner at the Daventry Court Hotel on Saturday 10th August, 2013. ![](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/hall-of-fame/hof2013-george-gomez-300x219.jpg) **George Gomez**A famous pinball designer in his own rights but now heading up the game design team at Stern Pinball. **Phil Palmer**Founder of the Pinball Heaven games, repairs and parts supply business. ![](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/hall-of-fame/hof2013-phil-palmer-191x300.jpg) ![](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/hall-of-fame/hof2013-dave-rolfe-300x205.jpg) **Dave Rolfe**Popular collector of early solid-state games and organiser of the Welsh Classic Pinball Open. ## --- **2012** For the fifth year of inductions to the UK Pinball Group Hall of Fame we were once again part of the UK Pinball Party’s awards dinner which was hosted at the same location but the newly-renamed Daventry Court Hotel on Saturday 18th August, 2012. ![](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/hall-of-fame/hof2012-mark-ritchie-300x230.jpg) **Mark Ritchie**Famed pinball designer and more recently head of development for Big Buck Hunter at Play Mechanix. **Andrew Heighway**Founder of Heighway Pinball and organiser of the UK Pinball Party shows. ![](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/hall-of-fame/hof2012-andrew-heighway-221x300.jpg) ![](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/hall-of-fame/hof2012-steve-kordek-300x225.jpg) **Steve Kordek**Legendary game designer for Williams who recently passed at the age of 101. ## --- **2011** The fourth year of inductions to the UK Pinball Group Hall of Fame again took place as part of the UK Pinball Party’s awards dinner which was hosted at the Barcelo Daventry Hotel on Saturday 13th August, 2011. ![](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/hall-of-fame/hof2011-jack-guarnieri-1-300x222.jpg) **Jack Guarnieri**Founder of Jersey Jack Pinball and Pinball Sales, manufacturer of popular feature-packed games. **Will Barber**Organiser of the South Coast Slam charity pinball show on Robert Englunds’s south coast. ![](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/hall-of-fame/hof2011-will-barber-300x224.jpg) ![](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/hall-of-fame/hof2011-jay-stafford-1-300x207.jpg) **Jay Stafford**Co-founder of the hugely popular Internet Pinball Database and pinball historian. ## --- **2010** For the third year of inductees to the UK Pinball Group Hall of Fame, the presentation took place as part of the newly-founded UK Pinball Party’s awards dinner at the Barcelo Daventry Hotel on Saturday 14th August, 2010. ![](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/hall-of-fame/hof2010-dennis-nordman-300x218.jpg) **Dennis Nordman**Famed pinball designer with a long career creating popular and humorous titles. **Mark Squires**Pinball restorer, organiser of the Swavesey Pinball Weekend and sponsor of the UK Pinball Show. ![](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/hall-of-fame/hof2010-mark-squires-248x300.jpg) ![](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/hall-of-fame/hof2010-gary-stern-300x200.jpg) **Gary Stern**Founder of Data East Pinball, Sega Pinball and Stern Pinball with a lifetime in the business ## --- **2009** The second group of inductees to the UK Pinball Group Hall of Fame were announced during the UK Pinball Show 2009 awards dinner which was held at the Marriott Northampton on Saturday 25th July, 2009. ![](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/hall-of-fame/hof2009-steve-ritchie-277x300.jpg) **Steve Ritchie**Legendary pinball designer with a string of hit titles from his five decades in the industry. **Nick Bennett**Founder of Pinballers Anonymous and organiser of the UK Pinball Show. ![](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/hall-of-fame/hof2009-nick-bennett-300x257.jpg) ![](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/hall-of-fame/hof2009-gary-flower-270x300.jpg) **Gary Flower**Pinball historian and co-author of the famous pinball book The Lure of the Silver Ball. ## --- **2008** The first three members of the UK Pinball Group Hall of Fame were inducted during the UK Pinball Show’s awards dinner which was held at the Kettering Park Hotel & Spa on Saturday 30th August, 2008. ![](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/hall-of-fame/hof2008-john-trudeau-226x300.jpg) **John Trudeau**Pinball designer who has enjoyed a long history in the business during which he has created many popular classic and innovative designs. **Martin Ayub**Editor of Pinball News and owner of the UK Pinball Group who travels the world to report and compete in tournaments. ![](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/hall-of-fame/hof2008-martin-ayub-300x221.jpg) ![](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/hall-of-fame/hof2008-andy-netherwood-300x210.jpg) **Andy Netherwood**Owner of the Pinball Mania parts and game repair business who also works as show tech to keep all the games running. ## **[Back to the Pinball News Hall of Fame](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/pinball-news-hall-of-fame/)** _(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 841afe31-e8c4-4da8-b413-e815413a1a6c*