Tom Waters

Considered the best player in quizbowl before Andrew Yaphe. It is claimed by some that it cannot be certain that he was ever on a team that actually won a tournament, although the magical tubes and pipes that form the Internet show that, in fact, he has. These victories include (but may not be limited to)

• 1996 Wahoo War (with South Carolina)
• 1996 Tennessee Masters (with Jeff Johnson, J.J. Todor, and Jordan Katine)
• 1996 Buckeye Open (with R. Hentzel, Eric Hilleman, and Tim Carter)
• 1998 Virginia Masters (with Eric Hilleman)
• 1999 Chicago Open (with Al Whited)
• 1989 IBA US Open (with Byron Boyd, Chris Moody, and Bud Avila)

Tom's alleged unimpressive performances at open events after years spent out of practice is often taken to be yet another piece of evidence in favor of the assumption that any player or team which thrived x number of years before present is widely overrated and achieved their dominance through fraud, mastery of a much smaller canon, etc. It remains to be seen whether a similar assessment will overtake the current luminaries of the game upon their own retirement and inevitable return from it.