December 10, 2024 Nolan Hughes

PBA star recognized for his annual holiday fundraiser and community engagement

Kyle Troup has been selected as the 2024 PBA Tony Reyes Community Service Award recipient. The award recognizes a current PBA member who exemplifies extraordinary community service, charitable or educational contributions over the course of a PBA season.

Each holiday season, Troup hosts a charitable bowling tournament to raise money for families in need. This year’s Third Annual Christmas No-Tap Fundraiser, which he held Nov. 30 in Jeffersontown, Ky., raised more than $17,500.

In three years running the event, which has grown each year, Troup has raised donations totaling nearly $40,000 to provide holiday gifts for children in North Carolina and Kentucky.

“To join the list of people (who have won this award) and see the caliber of what they’ve done for their organizations, I’m honored to be a part of the group,” Troup said. “It definitely makes me want to work even harder now.”

Troup’s PBA Tour career began a few years after Reyes’ passing in 2012, but the legend of Reyes and his everlasting smile lives on the tour.

“I don’t have any personal experiences with Tony, but I love hearing stories about him,” Troup said. “The first thing you hear about Tony is the type of person he was, not the bowler. I’ve only heard world class things about him and I think the more people try and act like him, the world’s going to be a better place.”

Troup, a 12-time champion, shares Reyes’ remarkable ability to bring a smile to the faces of PBA fans. With his bubbling personality, southern charm, flashy outfits and, of course, signature afro, Troup has become a beloved figure on the PBA Tour.

Bowling with style is the Troup family trade; he learned the art of showmanship from his father, Guppy, one of the PBA Tour’s most charismatic and exuberant stars of the 1970s and 80s.

In 2021, Troup broke the PBA’s single-season earnings record and earned PBA Player of the Year honors. But he wanted to do more than knock over pins and collect trophies.

“Given the opportunities and blessings that I've had in my career and my life through bowling, I wanted to be able to give back,” Troup said.

 

In December 2022, Troup said he helped Jeremy Thomas, a tournament director based in Louisville, with a tournament. Troup said they used the proceeds from the event, more than $8,600, to take families shopping for holiday gifts — an experience that Troup has not forgotten. 

“To see the joy that we were bringing to these families personally, that was pretty special and stuck with me,” Troup said. “(The kids) had so much joy, but they were also worried. They would ask, ‘Can we get this?’ and I would say, “Hell yeah, you can!’”

Troup said his passion for the holiday season has grown tremendously because of his fiancée, Breanna Stewart.

“Breanna has absolutely brought more Christmas spirit out of me over the years,” Troup said. “I've always enjoyed Christmas, but she absolutely loves it and the kids love it. We were already full-blown Christmas by early November at the house!”

Stewart provides far more than just the holiday spirit; Troup said she coordinates most of the event. Troup thanked his brother, Tyler, who plays a major role behind the scenes and directed the 2023 tournament, and Todd McGill, who joined this year as tournament director and will maintain that role moving forward. He also thanked his many local friends who have been instrumental in putting on the event each year.

When Troup learned he would be receiving this year’s award, via a phone call from PBA Commissioner Tom Clark, the first person who came to Troup’s mind was his late mother, Sherri.

“When I got that call, it made me think about what my mom said, probably the last words that she ever spoke: Be the best you can be," Troup said. “I learned a lot from her and those words helped me grow into the man I am today. This is another example of that. There are tons of players out there doing (great work in the community), and I would think and hope that this will lead to more players doing more things. I think we can always give back in one way or another."

The Tony Reyes Community Service Award recognizes a current PBA member who exemplifies extraordinary community service, charitable or educational contributions over the course of a PBA season. 

Reyes, who died in 2012, was an eight-time PBA Regional Tour champion, collegiate All-American and the 18th player in PBA history to bowl a 300 game on national television. Few remember the accolades when they think of Tony Reyes; instead, they remember his infectious laugh, buoyant personality and limitless generosity.

Past PBA Tony Reyes Community Service Award Recipients

Kyle Troup, 2024
Johnny Petraglia, 2023
Ryan Shafer, 2022
Warren Eales, 2021
Danny Wiseman, 2020
Chuck Gardner, 2019
Chris Barnes, 2018
Del Ballard Jr., 2017
Rhino Page, 2016
Ed Godbout, 2015
Missy Parkin, 2014
Parker Bohn III, 2013

Complete list of PBA Tony Reyes Community Service Award recipients