Bass Family          Knife Throwing Family of the Year
  Randy Beard         Special Recognition
  Pierre Cazoulet            International Champion of the Year
  DW Denton           Special Recognition
  Steve Jackson              Competitor of the Year
  Stanley Jensen                   Most Improved Thrower of the Year
  Beth Ann McCourt              Outstanding Female Newcomer of the Year
  Bill Odor                Knife Maker of the Year
  Dan Overpeck               Outstanding Achievement in Tomahawk & Knife
                                                        Mountain Man Throwing
  Rudd Pickett                Outstanding Achievement
                                 Northeastern National Champion
  David Quinn                Outstanding Dedication to Knife Throwing
  Brian Shields               Outstanding Achievement in Promotion of Knife Throwing 
  Richard Wesson           National Champion of the Year
  Damon Wilson             Pinnacle Award of Success
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2008 Inductees
International Achievement & Promotion of Knife Throwing

Jack Dagger:   The King of Fling is a world renowned Knife Throwing Comedian!  He has been recognized by the International Knife Throwers Hall of Fame, won several World Championships, and has invented the first new knife throwing stunt in almost one hundred years: The Jack Knife-Cucumber Slice.  The King of Fling was recognized by People Magazine in 2008 as one of the Sexiest Men Alive (in Sexiest A-Z, as K for Knife Thrower).  He worked on You Don't Mess with the Zohan with Adam Sandler, Monk with Tony Shaloub, and BONES with David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel.  He was featured on History Channel's More Extreme Marksmen as the world's most accurate knife throwing marksman.  Jack has appeared in Vogue Italia, on the MTV Music Awards, in the Britney Spears "Circus" music video, on the Learning
Channel, and has been featured on both Japanese and Greek television.  In a recent interview, Michael J. Bainton (Executive Director of the International Knife Throwers Hall of Fame) said, "I am continuously amazed by his precision marksmanship and his ability to entertain an audience.  He is the most accurate knife thrower in the world at this time, and constantly raises the standards by which other knife throwers are measured in the entertainment field.  Although Jack Dagger has retired from competition, he continues to support the expansion of knife throwing as a fun, safe sport for the general public.  Jack Dagger is the most un-pretentious thrower I've ever known.  One month he's wowing the world with his amazing accuracy on the History Channel, and the next month he's joining us at the Alamo-at his own expense-to help raise money for its preservation.  He kept the Alamo crowds in stitches with his quick wit and attention to detail.  We could use more people like Jack Dagger."
                                http://jackdagger.com   http://jackdagger.com/blog

Jack Dagger:  The King of Fling
(Todd Abrams)

Television/Film

As self in History Channel's More Extreme Marksmen, introducing the "Grape Slice" and the "Robin Hood" (see below) for high speed cameras (air date 1/25/09).

Technical Advisor and Stunt Performer for Fox's BONES episode 4.12, "Double Trouble in the Panhandle" (air date 1/15/09).

Knife-Spinning "Zemenian Chef" (speaking Polish on camera) in a scene with Tony Shaloub for USA's Monk episode 99, "Mr. Monk Falls in Love."

Stunt Hands for Adam Sandler in You Don't Mess with the Zohan (2008)

As self in Greek Television's Ciao Darwin (ANT1).

As self in Japanese Television's Dream Vision and Amazing Count Ten (NTV) for high speed cameras.

Media

Featured in People magazine (in the A-Z section of their Sexiest Men Alive 2008 issue) as "K for Knife Thrower," page 136.

Appeared with supermodel Karen Elson in Vogue Italia (2007).

Stage

Ongoing performances at the South California Renaissance Pleasure Faire and the Texas Resaissance Festival.

Ongoing performances at Casino Arizona in Scottsdale, AZ.

Knott's Berry Farm, Calico (Main) Stage, Summer 2007

Carowinds Amusement Park (Charlotte, NC), Main Stage, Halloween Haunt 2006, 2007.

Margaret Cho's "Sensous Woman," 2006

Harry Anderson's "Spirit of Vaudeville" at the Cerritos Performing Arts Center, 2006

Janet Klein and the Borscht Belt Babies, Comedy Central Hudson Stage, 2005.

Jack Dagger Original Stunts

Jack Knife-Cucumber Slice (and Flaming Cucumber Slice):  Severing a cucumber on the exposed skin of an assistant with a thrown knife ( or a thrown, flaming knife) in a live performance.  [Note:  This is the most dangerous stunt currently performed live on stage.]

Robin Hood:  Deliberately throwing a knife into the butt of another thrown knife.

Grape Slice:  Slicing a grape out of the air with a thrown knife.

Knife Catch:  Catching a thrown knife in a live performance.

Tomahawk Catch:  Catching a thrown tomahawk.
Outstanding New Performers of the Year

Mike & Rosa Gross-One Sharp Marriage are Knife Throwing Performers from Massachusetts.  They perform at the Adams Aggie Fair, Cummington Fair, Spencer Fair, Middlefield Fair, and Art Circus.  Also appearing on Pittsfield Community Television (PCTV).  Mike also placed third in Intermediate Knife at 2008 NUSKTC and was the Tin Cup Knife Champion in 2008 at SEUSKTC. In the 2009 NEUSKTC he placed first in knife, first in hawk, and first in The Frontiersman event. A triple crown and great accomplishment for this outstanding performer/competitor.
National Instructor of the Year
Cliff "AWOL" Hill

2005   Third Place Knife, Annie Oakley Days, Greenville, Ohio
         Second Place-Novice Knife, Central US
         Second Place-Novice Tomahawk, Central US

2006   Third Place Knnife, Annie Oakley Days, Greenville, Ohio
         Fourth Place Tomahawk, Annie Oakley Days, Greenville, Ohio
         Third Place-Expert Knife, Che Che Whitecloud World Championship

2007   Third Place Knife, Vick Russell Mountain Man Throw
         Third Place Tomahawk, Vick Russell Mountain Man Throw
         Second Place Intermediate Knife, Southern US Championship
         Third Place Expert Tomahawk, Southern US Championship
         First Place Expert Knife, Northeastern US Championship
         Second Place Expert Knife, Annie Oakley Days, Greenville, Ohio
         Second Place Knife, Fredericksburg Thanksgiving Throw

2008   Second Place Expert Knife, Northeastern US Championship
         First Place Frontiersman, Northeastern US Championship
         Fourth Place, Frontiersman at the Alamo
Conventional Knife Throw of the Year

Ed Imperatore & Vicky McCourt-Ed Imperatore has been throwing knives since he was a kid growing up in South Jersey.  At a young age, he-like many other throwers and would be throwers-had gotten into trouble by taking Mom's kitchen knives out and destroying them by throwing them at any piece of wood that wasn't nailed down and some that were!  Mr. Imperatore also spent alot of time as a team member in both Pool leagues and Dart teams, excelling in his inimitable style as his exceptional eye-hand coordination set him apart from the average player.  Ed has been throwing competively now for the last few years and has
distinguished himself as an excellent thrower and an integral part of the knife throwing community as well as a very active member of the Board of Directors of the International Knife Throwers Hall of Fame Association as well as the Director of the NJ SATE IKTHOF Knife Throw held in Netcong, NJ.  More recently, Ed turned his talents towards design and manufacture of some really fine designs in throwing knives.  His Jersey Bowie is a true state of the art Mountain Man style thrower worthy of the name Bowie.  He is also working on some other designs and is going to be an influential part of the IKTHOF moving well into the 21st century.
Outstanding Mountain Man Thrower of the Year

Roy "Moses" Neal has been involved in knife throwing for several years, but his love for the history of the knife has gone on for many more than that.  He has yearned to know the history and lifestyle of the early pioneers of our nation.  His expertise centers around the Mountain Man era and rendezvous' of this time period.  He loves teaching and passing on the traditions of the pioneers of knife and hawk competitions.  Roy has actively been competing in knife throwing for several years, participating in area, state and national
competitions.  Among his accomplishments is the title of 2001 Rocky Mountain Challenge Champion.  Also in 2001, he won top honors at the Thanksgiving Challenge in Fredericksburg, Texas.  The year 2002 brought several new titles, including Texas State Knife/Hawk Champion, first place in the Central US Hawk Competition, and second place in the Central US Knife Throwing Championships.
Outstanding Female Thrower of the Year

Erica Molock was introduced to knife and tomahawk throwing when she was 15.  She started throwing in the backyard with her father for fun and with his encouragement, she decided to enter the Rocky Mountain Challenge in the professional women's division and won second place.  At her next competition, she won first place in the knife and second place in the tomahawk and was overall winner as the Women's Texas State Champion in 2001.  Since that time, she has become a three-time Texas State Champion, winning again in
2003 and 2004.  She is also a two-time champion at Fort Martin Scott in Fredericksburg, TX., in 2002 and 2003.  She's been runner up at the Rocky Mountain Challenge for four years.  Erica primarily throws in Mountain Man style competitions and enjoys traveling the different parts of the country to compete along with her family and friends.  She is a member of the Cedar Creek Knife and Hawk Club of Malakoff, TX., which hosts the Texas State Championships each year.
International Achievement
Promotion of Knife Throwing

John Taylor left school at 16 years and joined the West Riding Constabulary as a Police Cadet.  At 19 years, he joined as a Police Constable and served the West Yorkshire community until he retired, after 30 years of service, in 2001.  In 2005, he started to dabble in one of his childhoods interests-knife throwing.  This dabbling became a passion and, as he had no one else in England to throw against, he travelled to the International Knife Throwers Hall of Fame (IKTHOF), Austin, TX, in October 2006.  There he learned from the masters of this sport who have the most challenging competitions in the world.  He progressed so much in the short time he was there that, before he left, he was given a Thrown Weapons instructors certificate.  Because of the expertise he gained in Austin, he was offered a part in the TV program, Heartbeat, as a Turkish knife thrower, in a pantomime style 
episode, which was broadcast in May 2007.  In June 2007, he placed third in both knife and tomahawk Intermediate Division in the IKTHOF tournament held in New Jersey.  In September 2007, he placed first in Intermediate Knife at the IKTHOF tournament in Austin, Texas.  In June 2008, he placed third in Expert Tomahawk in New Jersey.  In October 2008, John placed 2nd at the Frontiersman throw at the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas.  During this tournament, John also entered the Expert Division for knives.  He was then interviewed for a TV program, "Extreme Marksman," for the History Channel.  In November 2008, John was asked to be the technical advisor for a History Channel production called "Ancient Discoveries," which involved the throwing of an African throwing knife, called a shongo, which is a multi-bladed knife.  This program will be seen in 90 countries in early 2009.  Since returning from Austin in 2006, he has appeared in various newspapers including the Yorkshire Evening Post and the Guardian, plus he was interviewed by the men's magazine, Maxim.  He has established the UK's first ever throwing club, which is flourishing and expanding.  John has a talent for teaching others to throw and has taught about 150 people including Scout instructors, sword fighters from the Royal Armouries, Leeds, and disabled people-some of whom are wheelchair bound.  He has thrown the following items:  axes, knives, tomahawks, chopsticks, 6 and 12 inch nails, circular saw discs, screwdrivers and chisels.  If it can be thrown, John will try but with safety as the first consideration.
Mountain Man Throw of the Year
Steel Life Achievement-10 Years

Chuck "Walking Eagle" Weems has been throwing for several years, working primarily in the Mountain Man style and participating in primitive rendezvous.  Over the past 5 years, he has begun promoting, teaching, and demonstrating the art of knife throwing.  Chuck Weems organized the Texas State Knife and Tomahawk Championship in Canton, Texas.  He is the current President of the Cedar Creek Knife
and Hawk Club (CCKH) and coordinates and promotes the State Championship in Malakoff, Texas.  Since his beginning as a tournament promoter, the State Championship has escalated into one of the finest in the nation.  The CCKH does various demonstrations for service groups and organizations.  Chuck Weems has also done demonstrations for places like Traders Village in Houston, Texas and Grand Prairie, Texas.  "Walking Eagle" enjoys teaching and introducing new members to the sport of knife throwing.  He enjoys knife throwing in general because it is something that you can do at home in your backyard, and because it is a family sport and can be enjoyed by anyone.  In fact, his daughter, Erica Molock, is the two-time Texas State Champion, the current Texas State Champion, and the Fort Martin Scott Champion of Fredericksburg, Texas.