Career
Durbin became a member of the PBA in 1966. [1] While living in Costa Mesa, California as a rookie in 1967, Durbin won two tournaments and was named PBA Rookie of the Year by Sporting News . He captured his fifth PBA Tour victory and first major title at the 1972 Firestone Tournament of Champions. He then went on a seven-year title drought before returning to the winner's circle at the 1979 Syracuse Open. Durbin won eight more titles in the 1980s, including his second and third Tournament of Champions majors in 1982 and 1984. [2] His three Tournament of Champions titles established a PBA record, which has since been matched by Jason Couch (1999, 2000 and 2002) and Jason Belmonte (2014, 2015 and 2019). Durbin also finished runner-up at the 1977 Tournament of Champions and also finished fourth in 1967, third in 1970, fifth in 1980, and fourth in 1983, and had numerous achievements in other tournaments as well. [1] He earned over $800,000 in his PBA career.
Durbin was inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame in 1984. During the 1983-84 season, Durbin served as the president of the PBA.
From the early 1980s to 1995, Durbin worked as a color analyst for ESPN alongside play-by-play man Dennis Schreiner. The two called tournaments in the summer and fall, along with senior tour events, while ABC Sports would cover the winter-spring events on the Professional Bowlers Tour , occasionally with Durbin alongside Chris Schenkel. Durbin would occasionally call the ESPN action himself with another analyst, such as Earl Anthony, if Schreiner was out on assignment. Durbin also worked as a commentator for USA Network's occasional bowling telecasts in the 1980s. In 1996, Marshall Holman became the new color analyst for ESPN's coverage, while Durbin took over play-by-play duties. Durbin retired from broadcasting in 1997. Durbin co-authored with Dan Herbst a self-help bowling book called From Gutterballs to Strikes published in 1998.
Durbin was ranked #22 on the PBA's 2008 list of "50 Greatest Players of the Last 50 Years." In late 2015, Durbin was voted into the USBC Hall of Fame, Superior Performance category, [3] and was inducted with the 2016 class on April 28. [4]
PBA Tour titles
Major championships are in bold text.
- 1967 Tampa Bay-Sertoma Open (Tampa, Florida)
- 1967 Youngstown Open (Youngstown, Ohio)
- 1968 El Paso Open (El Paso, Texas)
- 1970 Bellows-Valvair Open (Redwood City, California)
- 1972 Firestone Tournament of Champions (Akron, Ohio)
- 1979 Syracuse Open (Syracuse, New York)
- 1980 Northern Ohio Open (Fairview Park, Ohio)
- 1981 Miller High Life Open (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
- 1981 Sarasota Open (Sarasota, Florida)
- 1982 Firestone Tournament of Champions (Akron, Ohio)
- 1982 Tucson Open (Tucson, Arizona)
- 1983 Showboat Doubles Classic w/Gil Sliker (Las Vegas, Nevada)
- 1984 Firestone Tournament of Champions (Akron, Ohio)
- 1985 Quaker State Open (Grand Prairie, Texas)
Personal
Durbin lived in Dayton, Ohio, in the early 1970s. A long-time resident of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, [5] Durbin also lived in Boulder City, Nevada; Henderson, Nevada; and then in several communities in Texas, most recently Livingston. [3] Durbin and his wife Debra have three children, Mike Jr., Matthew, and Christine (mentioned by Chris Schenkel on the 26 January 1985 ABC telecast of the Pro Bowlers Tour, 1985 Quaker State Open, wherein Durbin won his final PBA Tour title, over Mike Edwards, [6] who failed to convert a 4-9 split in the final frame). Durbin is a Christian. [5] [7]
The PBA Tournament of Champions is one of the five major PBA bowling events. It is an invitational event and the only PBA Tour major that does not have any open field. All participants must meet qualifications to be invited.
The USBC Masters is a championship ten-pin bowling event conducted by the United States Bowling Congress. The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) began recognizing it as a title event in 1998, and it was designated one of the four majors in 2000. A PBA rule change in 2008 retroactively awarded a PBA title to any Masters winners prior to 1998 who were PBA members at the time of the victory.
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.
Nelson "Bo" Burton Jr. is a retired 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.
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.
Jason Couch is an American ten-pin bowler on the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour, and a member of the PBA and USBC Halls of Fame. A left-handed cranker, Couch graduated from Clermont High School in Clermont, Florida and still resides in Clermont. He owns 16 PBA Tour titles, including four major championships, plus two titles on the PBA50 Tour. He also owns 26 PBA Regional Tour titles and one PBA50 Regional Tour title.
Mike Aulby is a left-handed bowler and former member of the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA). He is one of only five PBA bowlers to win both a Rookie and Player of the Year award. He is also the first player in history to complete a career "Super Slam", in which a bowler wins all five PBA Tour major tournaments at least once. He has since been joined in this exclusive club by Jason Belmonte. Aulby owns 29 career PBA Tour titles, currently 9th place all-time, with eight major titles among these wins. He is a member of both the PBA and USBC Halls of Fame.
Don Johnson was born in Kokomo, Indiana, but spent most of his adult life in Akron, Ohio and Las Vegas, Nevada.
William Bruce Hardwick was a right-handed ten-pin bowler and member of the Professional Bowlers Association.
Doug Kent is a right-handed American professional ten-pin bowler, a member of the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA), and a PBA and USBC Hall of Famer. In the 2006–07 season, Kent became just the sixth bowler in PBA history to win two major championships in one tour year as he captured titles in the USBC Masters and Denny's PBA World Championship. For his efforts, he was voted the Chris Schenkel PBA Player of the Year and received a four-year exemption for PBA Tour events.
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.
George N. Pappas 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. 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).
Jack Joseph Biondolillo was a professional bowler and member of the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA).
PBA on ESPN is the branding used for Professional Bowlers Association broadcasts on the ESPN cable television network. ESPN's relationship with bowling began in 1985, when the network aired the 12 Summer Tour events. By 2001, ESPN provided exclusive coverage of 20 regular-season events and four to six summer telecasts, all on Sundays or Tuesdays.
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.
James William Godman was an American professional bowler who won eleven titles on the Professional Bowlers Tour, and was the first bowler to win the prestigious Tournament of Champions twice, winning in 1969 and 1973. Godman is ranked 32nd on the list of the 50 Greatest PBA Bowlers of all-time.
