George N. Pappas (born March 3, 1947) is an American former professional bowler from Charlotte, North Carolina, who has also served as an official in the PBA. He won ten PBA Tour titles between 1970 and 1984, including one major championship in 1979. He was inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame in 1986 and the USBC Hall of Fame in 1989. [1] Pappas was ranked #33 in a "Top 50 Bowlers of the Last 50 Years" poll conducted by the PBA for its 50th anniversary season (2008–09). [2]
Pappas joined the PBA in 1969, and quickly won his first two titles early in the 1970 season, at the Miller High Life Open and Greater Buffalo Open. [3] He then had a drought of nearly four years, which included a heartbreaking 233–224 loss to Don Johnson in the final match of the 1972 U.S. Open. He finally got back on track with his third title at the King Louie Open in January, 1974. [4]
Pappas recorded the biggest triumph of his career when he captured the 1979 Firestone Tournament of Champions, leading that event wire-to-wire (from opening match through the finals). It was his sixth title, as well as his first and only major championship win. [5] He had his best season in 1984, collecting his ninth and tenth PBA titles and earning over $100,000. [6]
Major championships in bold type.
Pappas served as chair of the PBA's Tournament Committee and as PBA president for two years. [7] He is currently the proprietor of George Pappas Victory Lanes (incorporated 2006), a 40-lane bowling center in Mooresville, North Carolina. [8]
Norm Duke is an American professional bowler who previously competed on the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour and now competes on the PBA50 Tour. He has won 40 titles on the PBA Tour, including seven major championships, and another six titles on the PBA50 Tour. A member of both the PBA and USBC Halls of Fame, Duke is one of only three players in history to reach 40 career PBA Tour titles. He has bowled 73 perfect 300 games in PBA competition, including the 16th televised 300 game in PBA Tour history on January 5, 2003. Duke is a member of the Storm pro staff.
Earl Roderick Anthony was an American professional bowler who amassed records of 43 titles and six Player of the Year awards on the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour. For over two decades, his career title count was listed as 41. The count was amended to 43 in 2008, when the PBA chose to retroactively award PBA titles for ABC Masters championships if won by a PBA member at the time. He is widely credited for having increased bowling's popularity in the United States. He was the first bowler to earn over $100,000 in a season (1975), and the first to reach $1,000,000 in lifetime PBA earnings (1982). His ten professional major titles—six PBA National Championships, two Firestone Tournament of Champions titles, and two ABC Masters titles—are the second most all time, tied with Pete Weber and five behind Jason Belmonte.
Walter Ray Williams Jr. is an American professional bowler and competitive horseshoes pitcher. He currently holds the record for all-time standard PBA Tour career titles (47) and total PBA earnings. He is a seven-time PBA Player of the Year, and won at least one PBA Tour title in a record 17 consecutive seasons. He starred in the ten-pin bowling sports documentary A League of Ordinary Gentlemen. As of June 26, 2022, Williams is also the all-time titles leader on the PBA50 Tour, with 16. He is a three-time PBA50 Player of the Year and has won three majors on that Tour. He has rolled 110 career perfect 300 games in PBA competition through 2019.
Wayne Webb is an American professional bowler from Rehoboth, Massachusetts. He was known for his success from the late 1970s to the end of the 1980s. Webb is one of only 17 players in history to win at least 20 PBA Tour titles, and is a member of both the PBA and USBC Halls of Fame.
The PBA Tour is the major professional tour for ten-pin bowling, operated by the Professional Bowlers Association. Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, over 3,000 members worldwide make up the PBA. While most of the PBA members are Regional professionals, a small percentage of the bowling membership competes at the national and international level, forming the PBA Tour. Founded in 1958, the PBA Tour has been in continuous operation since the inaugural 1959 season.
Nelson "Bo" Burton Jr. is a professional ten-pin bowler, PBA Hall of Famer, and former longtime analyst for the Professional Bowlers Tour on ABC Television. He is the son of Nelson Burton, Sr., who himself was a successful bowler in his day, competing with the likes of Glenn Allison and Billy Welu. Bo compiled 18 titles on the PBA Tour, including two major championships, and earned $763,782 (USD).
Marshall Holman is an American sports broadcaster and retired professional ten-pin bowler. He was known for his flamboyant, fiery demeanor and his success on the PBA Tour from the mid-1970s to the end of the 1980s. He is one of only 17 players in history to reach at least 20 career PBA Tour titles. Holman was sponsored by Columbia 300 and Nike.
Mark Stephen Roth was an American professional bowler. He won 34 PBA Tour titles in his career, and is a member of the PBA and USBC Halls of Fame. Roth was most dominant from 1975 through 1987, a stretch in which he made 107 televised finals appearances, captured 33 titles, and won four PBA Player of the Year awards. He is also known for having been the first professional bowler to convert a 7–10 split on national television.
Glenn Richard Allison is a retired American professional ten-pin bowler who was a founding member of the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA). He was born in Whittier, California, to Leo Allison, a car salesman, and Stella Bradford. He won five PBA Tour titles and one Senior PBA title, and was inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame in 1984. He is also a member of the USBC Hall of Fame, having won four titles in the ABC Tournament's Classic Division: he won in doubles in 1962, his "Eagles" team won in 1964 and 1966, and he claimed a singles title in 1970.
Michael William Durbin is a retired American professional bowler and bowling broadcaster, and is a member of both the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) and United States Bowling Congress (USBC) Halls of Fame. Durbin won 14 PBA Tour titles in his career, including three major championships.
John Petraglia Sr. is an American professional bowler. He is a member of the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA), where he won 14 PBA Tour titles. He has also won eight PBA Senior Tour titles. He is a member of both the PBA and USBC Halls of Fame.
Don Johnson was an American ten-pin bowler who spent many years on the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) tour. He won 26 PBA titles, including two major championships, and is a member of the PBA and USBC Halls of Fame.
Richard A. Ritger was a right-handed ten-pin bowler in the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA), who spent his later years as a bowling instructor and proprietor of Dick Ritger's Bowling Camp. Known for his smooth stroker delivery, he is one of only 17 players in history to have won at least 20 career PBA Tour titles.
Dave Davis was an American professional ten-pin bowler who was a member of the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA). He grew up in Hackensack, New Jersey, and resided in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida in his later life before moving to Lake Placid, Florida. Davis is a member of the PBA and USBC Halls of Fame.
David Ozio of Beaumont, Texas is a retired right-handed ten-pin bowler and member of the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA). He won 11 titles on the PBA Tour, including one major championship, and was the 1991 PBA Player of the Year. He was the 2004 Senior PBA Rookie of the Year, and has won five titles on the Senior and Generations tours. Ozio is a member of both the PBA and USBC Halls of Fame.
Steve Cook is an American retired left-handed ten-pin bowler and member of the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA). He was known as the largest physical specimen on the PBA Tour, standing at 6 feet 7 inches tall, and weighing in around 260 pounds. He was inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame in 1993, and was ranked #25 on the PBA's 2008 list of "50 Greatest Players of the Last 50 Years." In 2014, Steve was elected to the USBC Hall of Fame for Superior Performance.
David Soutar is a retired professional ten-pin bowler who competed on the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour. He won 18 times on the regular PBA Tour, and seven more times on the PBA Senior Tour. Soutar was raised on the east side of Detroit, Michigan and is now a resident of Bradenton, Florida. He is a member of the PBA and USBC Halls of Fame.
This is a recap of the 1979 season for the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour. It was the tour's 21st season, and consisted of 34 events. Following up on his eight titles a season ago, Mark Roth captured another six titles in the 1979 season, winning his third straight PBA Player of the Year award to match Earl Anthony's record of three POY crowns. Roth also averaged 221.699 during the 1979 season, to date the highest tour average in PBA history.
Jim Stefanich is a retired American right-handed ten-pin bowler most known for his years in the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA). Stefanich won 14 PBA Tour titles, including two major championships, and rolled the third-ever televised perfect 300 game in a PBA Tour event. He is a member of the PBA and USBC Halls of Fame.
Harry Monroe Smith, nicknamed "Tiger", was a right-handed American ten-pin bowler and charter member of the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA). Smith won 12 PBA Tour titles, including two major championships. He is a member of the PBA and USBC Halls of Fame.
 | This biographical article relating to American ten-pin bowling is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |