Jim Pencak

Jim Pencak

Personal information
Born	(1959-04-09) April 9, 1959 (age 66) Mayfield Heights, Ohio, U.S.
Years active	1982–1993
Height	5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Bowling Information
Affiliation	PBA
Rookie year	1982
Dominant hand	Right
Wins	4 PBA Tour (1 major)
300-games	6

Jim Pencak of Parma, Ohio is a former professional 10-pin bowler who was a member of the Professional Bowlers Association, bowling on the PBA Tour. ^[1] During his eleven years on tour, Jim collected four titles (including one major), three time runner-up finishes, and made an additional ten appearances in the top-five. ^[2]

All of Pencak's tour victories happened in 1989 and 1990, which includes his record winning streak of 16 consecutive televised final matches, still a PBA record. ^{[3] [1]} The start of Jim's streak was at the 1989 La Mode Classic in Green Bay (where he captured his first PBA title), where he needed to win four matches including his championship match victory over Dave Ferraro 231–218. ^[4] The end of the steak also happened at the La Mode Classic in Green Bay (1991), where Pencak was defeated in the semifinal match by Tony Westlake 223–195. ^[5]

Also a part of Pencak's TV final winning streak, his lone PBA major win at the 1990 PBA National Championship. Qualifying for the final rounds as the fourth seed, Jim won all four matches in the stepladder format culminating his 223–214 win over Chris Warren in the title match. ^[6]

Pencak is a member of both the Greater Cleveland Bowling and Ohio State Bowling Hall of Fame. ^{[7] [8]}

PBA Tour titles

Major championships are in bold type.

1. 1989 La Mode Classic (Green Bay, WI)
2. 1990 Society Bank PBA National Championship (Toledo, OH)
3. 1990 Budweiser Open (North Olmsted, OH)
4. 1990 Showboat Atlantic City Open (Atlantic City, NJ)

References

1. Goodman, Dave (September 7, 2014). "Bowler Jim Pencak recalls winning PBA title at the Showboat in Atlantic City". lehighvalleylive.com. The Express-Times.
2. "Jim Pencak PBA Stats". mcubed.net. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
3. "PBA Tour Records". pba.com. Professional Bowlers Association . Retrieved April 18, 2025.
4. "Pencak wins first PBA title". upi.com. United Press International. August 10, 1989.
5. "Westlake wins LaMode Classic". upi.com. United Press International. August 8, 1991.
6. "PENCAK TOPS WARREN FOR PBA TITLE". washingtonpost.com. Associated Press. March 17, 1990.
7. "Men's Hall of Fame Members" (PDF). clevelandusbc.com. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
8. "Superior Performance - Ohio State USBC Hall of Fame". ohiostateusbc.com. Retrieved April 17, 2025.