1974 PBA Tour season

Last updated
PBA Bowling Tour: 1974 Season
League Professional Bowlers Association
Sport Ten-pin bowling
DurationJanuary 1 – December 12, 1974
PBA Tour
Season MVP Earl Anthony
PBA Tour seasons

This is a recap of the 1974 season for the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour. It was the tour's 16th season, and consisted of 31 events. Earl Anthony won back-to-back majors (in the Firestone Tournament of Champions and Brunswick PBA National Championship) among his six victories during the year, easily winning PBA Player of the Year honors. Anthony also joined Mike McGrath as the only PBA players to successfully defend a PBA National Championship. [1]

Contents

The other major title of the season, the BPAA U.S. Open, was won by Larry Laub for his first major and sixth title overall.

In the 1974 season opener in Alameda, CA, a live national TV audience witnessed the PBA Tour's third televised 300 game, rolled by Jim Stefanich in a semi-final match. [2] Earl Anthony nearly duplicated the feat when he fired a 299 game in the final match of the season-ending Winston-Salem Hawaiian Invitational. [3]

Tournament schedule

EventBowling centerCityDatesWinner
Midas OpenMel's Bowl Alameda, California Jan 1–5 Dick Ritger (14)
Don Carter ClassicBowling Square Arcadia, California Jan 8–12 Larry Laub (4)
Showboat InvitationalShowboat Lanes Las Vegas, Nevada Jan 16–19 Jim Stefanich (12)
King Louie OpenKing Louie West Lanes Overland Park, Kansas Jan 22–26 George Pappas (3)
Cleveland OpenBuckeye Lanes North Olmsted, Ohio Jan 29 – Feb 2Larry Laub (5)
Fair Lanes OpenFair Lanes Towson, Maryland Feb 5–9Dick Ritger (15)
BPAA U.S. Open Madison Square Garden New York, New York Feb 10–16Larry Laub (6)
Winston-Salem ClassicMajor League Lanes Winston-Salem, North Carolina Feb 19–23 Ed Ressler (1)
STP ClassicBird Bowl Miami, Florida Feb 28 – Mar 2 Alex Seymore (1)
New Orleans OpenPelican Lanes New Orleans, Louisiana Mar 5–9 Paul Colwell (5)
Lincoln-Mercury OpenColorado Bowl Denver, Colorado Mar 12–16 Johnny Guenther (8)
Miller High Life OpenRed Carpet-Bowlero Milwaukee, Wisconsin Mar 19–23Johnny Guenther (9)
Ebonite OpenImperial Lanes Toledo, Ohio Mar 26–30 Wayne Zahn (13)
Firestone Tournament of Champions Riviera Lanes Akron, Ohio Apr 2–6 Earl Anthony (8)
Brunswick PBA National Championship Brunswick Wonderbowl Downey, California Jun 2–9Earl Anthony (9)
Seattle OpenBallinger Bowl Seattle, Washington Jun 14–18 Ed Bourdase (3)
Winston-Salem OpenValley Lanes Portland, Oregon Jun 22–26 Gary Dickinson (3)
Home Box Office OpenSaratoga Lanes San Jose, California Jun 28 – Jul 2Earl Anthony (10)
Fresno OpenCedar Lanes Fresno, California Jul 5–8Earl Anthony (11)
Home Box Office OpenCactus Bowl Tucson, Arizona Jul 12–16 Bob Hood (1)
Houston-Sertoma OpenStadium Bowl Houston, Texas Jul 19–23 Tommy Hudson (1)
Home Box Office OpenBradley Bowl Windsor Locks, Connecticut Aug 2–6 Nelson Burton Jr. (11)
New Jersey OpenEdison Bowl Edison, New Jersey Aug 9–13 Carmen Salvino (11)
Home Box Office OpenThruway Lanes Buffalo, New York Aug 16–20 Dave Soutar (14)
Starlanes-Ebonite OpenBertrand Lanes Waukegan, Illinois Aug 22–26Dick Ritger (16)
Canada Dry OpenHartfield Lanes Detroit, Michigan Aug 29 – Sep 2 Steve Neff (1)
Buzz Fazio OpenNottke Bowl Battle Creek, Michigan Oct 18–21 Don Johnson (23)
Canada Dry OpenWestgate Lanes Cleveland, Ohio Oct 25–28Earl Anthony (12)
Columbia 300 OpenStrike 'n Spare Lanes Syracuse, New York Nov 1–4 Skee Foremsky (6)
Brunswick World OpenBrunswick Northern Bowl Glendale Heights, Illinois Nov 10–16 Johnny Petraglia (9)
Winston-Salem Hawaiian Invitational(Multiple Centers) Honolulu, Hawaii Dec 2–12Earl Anthony (13)

References

  1. "1974 Brunswick-PBA National Championship". PBA.
  2. "1974 Midas Open". PBA.
  3. "1974 Winston-Salem Hawaiian Invitational". PBA.