Welcome to the site of the original King of Cornhole.
About the King of Cornhole
The Origins: Legacy Era
The idea for the King of Cornhole was born in 2002 when creator and founder Matthew Gray saw people playing cornhole at a social gathering. The game immediately reminded him of a show from his childhood—King of TV Bowling—where players competed weekly to dethrone the reigning champion.
Inspired, Gray envisioned a similar format for cornhole: a season-long series culminating in a title match against the reigning king. In 2006, he teamed up with business partner Doug Hopkins and friends Phill Daniel and Chad Dillenfeld to bring the vision to life. Together, they launched King of Cornhole, the first televised cornhole series in history. Players would battle through tournament play each week for the right to face the reigning champion. It was a groundbreaking moment for the sport, ushering in what is now called the Legacy Era.
Building the Brand: American Cornhole Era
In 2007, Gray and Hopkins partnered with the American Cornhole Organization (ACO) and began working alongside its owner and president, Frank Geers, to grow the sport nationwide. At the time, the ACO had just one national event—the U.S. Nationals—a Skills Challenge Ranking system, and plans for monthly tournaments called the Masters Series.
Gray and Hopkins introduced structure and scale, transforming the ACO season into a competitive circuit. They created:
- The CornyForty, a seasonal ranking of the top 40 players
- A World Ranking system tied to point-earning tournaments
- The Ranked Players Invitational (RPI), ensuring competitive balance in the King of Cornhole field
- And integrated the King of Cornhole as the marquee event of the season.
They also helped evolve ACO terminology to reflect its professional ambitions better:
- Masters Series became Regionals
- Signature Series became Majors
- Skills Challenge Ranking became the Skill Challenge Rating
At the time, ACO’s season-ending structure was confusing. The World Championship occurred mid-season, while the U.S. Nationals—often considered the sport’s pinnacle—were held in January. To address this, Gray and Hopkins proposed aligning the end-of-season championship with the slow summer sports calendar, inspired by the success of Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest.
In 2013, following a suggestion from ESPN, ACO officially moved the championship to July. The U.S. Nationals were renamed the ACO World Championships of Cornhole, and the King of Cornhole remained its centerpiece. That same summer, King of Cornhole VIII was featured on Kenny Mayne’s Wider World of Sports on ESPN.
The Next Chapter
In the fall of 2013, Gray and Hopkins departed from the ACO, closing a chapter that helped lay the groundwork for professional cornhole as we know it today. Their vision, creativity, and contributions were foundational in elevating the sport from backyard pastime to national spotlight.