PAPA: All About PAPA
History
PAPA, the Professional & Amateur Pinball Association, was founded by Steve Epstein at his world-famous Broadway Arcade in New York City. Steve ran six world championships, with the last one being held in Las Vegas, before retiring and passing the reins to Kevin Martin.
In Steve's own words:
The beginning of what was to become PAPA began in the late 1970's when Roger Sharpe along with a third player Lionel Martinez started keeping track of our competition together. We logged over 10,000 sets of games over a four/five year period. From that data we developed the league scoring system used in the first PAPA league play around 1985/1986. This lead to the tournaments in the early 1990's. I guess meeting Roger at the Arcade in 1975 and starting to play together on a daily basis not only led to a great and lasting friendship, but to the world of competitive pinball.
Our Goals
Since 1991, PAPA has run an extensive list of tournaments. Our goal is to create and promote the world's greatest pinball tournaments, encouraging friendly competition and the spread of enthusiasm for pinball. Towards that end, we have created our Tournament Circuit, built up two world-class annual tournaments, and enhanced the Pinball Archive with its video collection.
In December 2012, the entire collection of pinball machines and other arcade games housed at the PAPA facility was donated to Replay Foundation, which will continue to operate the machines through PAPA for our tournaments.
World Headquarters
In Scott Township, Pennsylvania, PAPA acquired and renovated a 40,000 square foot warehouse to create the PAPA World Headquarters. Pictures of the renovation are available here. On September 17, 2004, shortly after the PAPA 7 World Pinball Championships, the facility was devastated by a major flood. All of the pinball machines were destroyed, along with many of the built-in improvements, bathrooms, carpeting, etc. However, we rebuilt the facility and the collection of pinball machines, in time for the following year's championships.
Features of the Headquarters include:
- 30,000-plus square feet dedicated to pinball
- more than 400 pinball machines for tournament play and practice banks
- an assortment of classic video games and specialty games such as Tattoo Assassins and Pump It Up
- projection screen and Internet kiosks for reviewing live standings
- restroom and vending facilities
- catering on-site during tournament events
- on-site parking
- easy access to I-79, I-279, and nearby hotels
The facility is located in Scott Township, Pennsylvania, near the intersection of I-79 and I-279. When attending our events, please use the following address:
100 Keystone Dr.Please note that the numbering on Keystone Drive is somewhat arbitrary. Keystone Drive may not appear on some maps, or may incorrectly appear to the north of Noblestown Road.
Carnegie, PA 15106
A simplified, printable map is available here in PDF format.
- Directions from the South
- Driving north on I-79, take Exit 57 toward Carnegie and turn right onto W Main St. After crossing railroad tracks, the next right is Hammond Street (no traffic light). You will cross a small bridge and another set of railroad tracks. Immediately bear left onto Keystone Drive. PAPA is in the one-story white building in front of you.
- Directions from the North
- Driving south on I-79, take Exit 57 toward Carnegie and turn left onto W Main St. Follow "Directions from the South".
- Directions from the West
- Driving east on I-376, take Exit 64A for I-79 South toward Washington. Then take Exit 57 toward Carnegie and turn left onto W Main St. Follow "Directions from the South".
- Directions from the East
- Driving west on I-376, go through the Fort Pitt Tunnel and take Exit 65 toward Carnegie/Heidelberg (PA-50). Bear right towards Carnegie and continue onto Mansfield Blvd, which becomes W Main St. After approximately 1 mile, turn left onto Hammond Street. You will cross a small bridge and a set of railroad tracks. Immediately bear left onto Keystone Drive. PAPA is in the one-story white building in front of you.
- Directions from the Airport
- Leaving the Pittsburgh International Airport, take I-376 East toward Pittsburgh, then follow "Directions from the West".