TOM SANFILIPO
Tom Sanfilipo of Fairfield, California, started shooting skeet in 1939 at the Pacific Rod and Gun Club in San Francisco. During the late 40’s and early 50’s, when skeet was shot with the gun down and targets were tripped by delay timers, Sanfilipo was known across the country as one of California’s premier shotgunners. He made his first appearance on the open All‑America Second Team in 1949, made the second team again in 1950, and then made three first teams in 1951, 1952 and 1953. During this period, San Filipo won championships at several prestige shoots like the Great Eastern, the Chicago Open, the Arizona Open, the California State Open, the Southern California Championships, and the Fresno Open. In 1951 he equaled Alex Kerr’s fourgun world record on 300 targets (299×300), and in 1952 he set a new long run record in the 20 gauge with 614 straight.
Sanfillipo retired from competitive skeet in the mid 1950’s, but in late 1950 he returned to registered shooting and proved that he hadn’t lost his touch or his accurate eye ‑ ‑he won 25 concurrent sub‑senior, senior and veteran championships at annual world shoots, claimed seven veteran titles at Zone 7 Championships, and numerous veteran championships at California State Opens. In 1975, Sanfilipo made his reappearance on the All‑America Team as a member of the veteran squad. The next year he set a new veteran world record for 400 targets when he broke 393×400 at the Southern California Skeet Championships. He served for several years as captain of the All‑America Veteran Team.