WALTER RAY WILLIAMS JR. TO FACE PETE WEBER IN EXHIBITION WEBCAST MATCHStory >>
National Bowling Stadium Championship
TV Finalists Advance at Don and Paula Carter Mixed Doubles Championship
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
PBA BEGINS SECOND SECOND HALF OF 50TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
LIVE STREAMING RETURNS TO XTRA FRAME TONIGHT!
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
DON AND PAULA CARTER MIXED DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIP READY TO ROLL
Friday, January 02, 2009
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ANDREW CAIN - Andrew's Angle

Andrew Cain

Don’t worry, this won’t be another blog centering on clichés. The glass is either half empty or half full. Ok…I just had to sneak that one Full Post

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JASON THOMAS - Jason's TV Recap

Jason Thomas

The last official PBA on ESPN show prior to the mid-season break was a holiday extravaganza featuring a number of early gifts (To: Rhino, From: Wes), Full Post

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MIKE JAKUBOWSKI - Mike J. Laneside

Mike Jakubowski

Walking into a bowling center for the very first time is one of my favorite experiences – a treat for all five senses. Full Post

PBA Historical Timeline Photo Gallery
1958 Eddie Elias, an attorney from Akron, OH, forms the Professional Bowlers Association.  33 founding members contributes $50 to help create the Association. 1959 Lou Campi wins the first PBA event at the Empire State Open in Albany, NY.  Campi collects $2,500 for his victory.  Dick Weber wins the final two events of the 1959 season, including the Paramus Eastern Open in Paramus, NJ, and the Dayton Open in Dayton, OH. 1961 The PBA makes its national TV debut with the National PBA Invitational at Paramus, NJ.  Roy Lown wins the event by defeating Rich Robinette, 196-191.  It marks the only title of his career.     1962 ABC Sports begins its 'Pro Bowlers Tour' series coverage.  Hall of Fame broadcaster Chris Schenkel, who was in the booth for the first broadcast in the early 60s, would become the most beloved broadcaster in the history of the sport. 1966 Based in Akron, OH, Riviera Lanes hosts its first Firestone Tournament of Champions.  The center would host 29 consecutive Tournament of Champions from 1966-1994.  Riviera Lanes tended to bring out the best in the world's greatest bowlers . . . of the 31 events held in the historic center, 26 were won by bowlers currently in the PBA Hall of Fame. 1967 On April 1, 1967, Jack Biondolillo bowls the first nationally televised perfect game in PBA history during the finals of the Firestone Tournament of Champions.  Biondolillo defeats Les Schissler, 300-216. 
1968 The inaugural Japan Gold Cup takes place at Star Lanes in Tokyo, Japan and is won by Don Johnson. The Japan Cup, which has been contested 29 times, is the longest running international event in PBA history. 1970 In arguably one of the most memorable moments in its 50 year history, Don Johnson leaves a solid 10-pin and bowls a 299 game in the title match of the Firestone Tournament of Champions in his hometown of Akron, OH.  Johnson immediately fell to the approach in disbelief. 1972 Madison Square Garden, one of sports most prestigious venues, hosts its first of three consecutive BPAA U.S. Opens.  1975 The PBA Hall of Fame is created and its first class is one of the most talented groups in bowling history.  Ray Bluth, Don Carter, Carmen Salvino, Harry Smith, Dick Weber and Billy Welu are all inducted in the Performance category, while Frank Esposito and Chuck Pezzano are inducted based on Meritorious Service.  1979 Mike Aulby defeats Earl Anthony, 245-217, in his rookie season to win the Showboat PBA National Championship in Las Vegas, NV.  It marks the first of six major wins for Aulby, who is still, to this day, the only player in PBA history to win the coveted "Super Slam" (winning the U.S. Open, Tournament of Champions, World Championship, USBC Masters and Touring Players Championship). 1980 In the first event of the 1980 season, Mark Roth converts the 7-10 split for the first time on national TV in the ARC Alameda Open in Alameda, CA.  Roth is still only one of three players (Jess Stayrook and John Mazza) to convert bowling's most difficult split on TV. 
1982 Earl Anthony wins the 1982 PBA National Championship en route to becoming the first player in PBA history to surpass $1 million in career earnings.  Anthony would finish his career with 43 titles and his 10 Majors still stand as the all-time record.    1983 During the PBA's 25th anniversary season, Norm Duke becomes the youngest bowler to win a title when he captures the 1983 Cleveland Open in Cleveland, OH, at the age of 18 years, 345 days.   1986 Walter Ray Williams Jr. wins his first PBA Player of the Year title after capturing three titles (True Value Open, Fair Lanes Open and Hammer Open).  Currently Williams and Earl Anthony are tied with a record six PBA Player of the Year crowns a piece.  1987 Pete McCordic earns a $100,000 bonus from True Value for his televised perfect game against Wayne Webb (300-249) in the Greater Los Angeles Open in Torrance, CA. 1988 Bob Benoit defeats Mark Roth, 300-255, in the Quaker State Open in Grand Prairie, TX, to become the first player in history to throw a perfect game in a title match on TV. 1993 George Branham III becomes the first African-American to win the Firestone Tournament of Champions by defeating Parker Bohn III, 227-214, at Riviera Lanes in Fairlawn, OH. This event also marked the end of Firestone's sponsorship of the event, which lasted 29 consecutive years.
1995 A record PBA crowd of 7,212 attends the finals of the U.S. Open in historic Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. Despite a nagging back injury, Dave Husted bested Paul Koehler, 266-245. 1996 Bob Learn Jr. smashes the four-game scoring record on TV when he bowls 1,129 (300, 270, 280, 279) in front of a sold-out arena crowd in his hometown of Erie, PA. 1997 Amleto Monacelli gets inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame making him the first and only foreign-born player to be inducted to the Hall of Fame.  1998 Eddie Elias, founder of the PBA, passes away at the age of 69 (Dec. 12, 1928 – Nov. 15, 1998). 1999 The PBA contests its first ever outdoor event as Eric Forkel wins the New York City PBA Experience in Manhattan's Bryant Park. 2002 After winning a PBA Senior Regional event in Taylorville, IL. in 2002, Dick Weber becomes the only player in PBA history to win titles in six consecutive decades. The feat began in 1959 when he captured the Paramus Eastern Open in Paramus, NJ. 
2002-03 Jason Couch wins his third consecutive Tournament of Champions title making him the only player in PBA history to win back-to-back-to-back TOC titles.  2006-07 The PBA Tour's 48th season starts off with a bang as Walter Ray Williams Jr. breaks the Tour's all-time titles record, earning win No. 42 over Pete Weber in the Dydo Japan Cup. Pete Weber picks up his fourth U.S. Open crown joining his father, Dick Weber, and Don Carter as the only bowlers in PBA history to win four prestigious BPAA All-Star/U.S. Open titles. Tommy Jones sets a PBA record for shortest time between first and 10th titles, winning title No. 10 just two years, six months and seven days after his first win.  2007-08 Chris Barnes takes home Player of the Year honors, joining Mike Aulby and Tommy Jones as the only players to win both Rookie and Player of the Year honors in their career.