December 12, 2024 Nolan Hughes

Tackett joins elite company with third career Player of the Year honor

EJ Tackett of Bluffton, Ind. etched his name into the PBA record books by earning his second consecutive and third career Chris Schenkel PBA Player of the Year award in 2024.

After winning Player of the Year honors in 2016 and again last season, Tackett has become the fifth player in PBA history to have won the award three or more times. 

Only Jason Belmonte (7), Walter Ray Williams Jr. (7), Earl Anthony (6) and Mark Roth (4) have won the PBA’s top individual accolade more than Tackett.

Tackett also became the seventh player to win back-to-back POY awards, joining Belmonte, Williams, Anthony, Roth, Amleto Monacelli and Don Johnson.

“When you get to such a level where your name is put next to icons — people that created the sport and made it what it is — there are no words for that,” Tackett said. “It's what you dream about as a kid, but don't ever think can actually happen, no matter who you are or how good you are. For it to actually come true is mind blowing. You have to remind yourself it actually is happening and it's real.”

This season Tackett won two titles, including the PBA World Championship, and led the tour with 29,920 points, $265,792 in earnings and a near-record 229.37 average. Tackett garnered 67.50% of votes from PBA members and the media.

Anthony Simonsen, who led the tour with three standard titles, finished second in voting at 11.00%. Marshall Kent finished third with 9.50% of votes.

Bill O’Neill, David “Boog” Krol, Kyle Troup, Matt Russo and Jesper Svensson were also nominated and received votes.

“It’s so much fun to be able to compete and be rewarded with things like this, adding to the legacy that I've been fortunate enough to create. Hopefully I can add to it as we move forward,” Tackett said.

No matter the oil pattern, the bowling center or the format, Tackett performed at an elite level this season. In his worst finish of the season — 40th place in the PBA Cheetah Championship — he averaged 231.67.

His week-in, week-out consistency led to Tackett tallying the second highest single-season average in PBA history.

“Everything has clicked together the last two seasons,” Tackett said. “I've been able to make the right moves at the right time, maybe a little bit quicker than most. When you can make the right move a frame or two quicker, that adds up. That’s been the biggest difference for me. It’s not necessarily that I’m throwing it that much better; it’s my recognition of what’s happening on the lane that has been really, really good the last two seasons. When you’re recognizing stuff faster, it gives you more confidence to throw better shots, too.”

How close did Tackett come to breaking Jason Belmonte’s 2017 record of 229.39?

Tackett needed just 10 more pins somewhere in his 440 games to have broken the record.

Entering the final game of the season, Tackett needed to shoot 299 to narrowly eclipse Belmonte’s mark. With a flair for the dramatic, Tackett fired 10-consecutive strikes before leaving a 4-pin to shoot 289.

“It sucks that I missed the record by that much,” Tackett said. “But at the end of the day, would it have been cool? Yeah. Is it going to change anything about my career? I don't think so. I'd rather have 48 titles and 16 majors.”

Tackett is almost halfway to the former, notching both of his titles — the 22nd and 23rd titles of his career — during the PBA World Series of Bowling XV in Allen Park, Mich. 

He defeated Simonsen and Japan’s Shota Kawazoe to win the PBA Shark Championship, then climbed an all-left-handed stepladder to defend his PBA World Championship title.

Each time Tackett has won the PBA World Championship — 2016, 2023 and 2024 — he went on to earn Player of the Year honors. But he said this year’s World Championship victory meant more to him than any previous or future title.

“The biggest thing for me was winning the PBA World Championship and having Natalie and Tripp there,” Tackett said. “It was such an amazing feeling to be able to share that moment with our child. Everything else doesn’t mean as much any more. He’s the most important thing.”

Despite winning back-to-back titles, Tackett’s best stretch of bowling perhaps came earlier in the season. He reached the championship round in five consecutive events from the U.S. Open presented by Go Bowling through the PBA Delaware Classic.

The streak ended at the USBC Masters, in which Tackett finished in sixth place and 25 pins shy of making a sixth consecutive show.

Tackett was born in the small Indiana county of Huntington — as was Chris Schenkel, whose Hall of Fame sports broadcasting career included more than three decades as the voice of the PBA and whose name is immortalized on the Player of the Year trophy.

Recent Chris Schenkel PBA Player of the Year Winners

EJ Tackett, 2024
EJ Tackett, 2023
Jason Belmonte, 2022
Kyle Troup, 2021
Jason Belmonte, 2020
Jason Belmonte, 2019
Andrew Anderson, 2018
Jason Belmonte, 2017
EJ Tackett, 2016
Jason Belmonte, 2015

Complete list of Chris Schenkel PBA Player of the Year winners