onefrombills
01-21-2009, 12:16 AM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Mike Jakubowski | PR/Media Relations
Professional Bowlers Association | 719 Second Avenue, Suite 701 | Seattle, WA 98104
Tel: 414.651.6965 | Fax: 206.332.9722 | mike.jakubowski@pba.com
Who’s No. 1? PBA to Name Its Greatest Player Ever on Sunday
Anthony, Williams Still in the Race for Best Bowler in PBA’s First 50 Years
SEATTLE (January 20, 2009) – Who is the greatest player in the Professional Bowlers Association’s first 50 years? The answer to that question will finally be revealed during the live ESPN telecast of the H&R Block PBA Tournament of Champions on Sunday.
The last two names on the list of the 50 best PBA players ever, as selected by a national panel of bowling industry experts, are the late Earl Anthony and current star Walter Ray Williams Jr.
Who would you pick?
Anthony, who bowled most of his career out of Tacoma, Wash., was the most dominant left-handed player in PBA history, winning 43 PBA Tour titles – a record that stood for 30 years before Williams broke it in 2007. Among his titles, however, are a PBA-record 10 “majors” including six PBA National Championships. He won that prestigious event three times in a row twice. He also won a pair of United States Bowling Congress Masters titles and two Tournament of Champions crowns, but the U.S. Open eluded him and prevented Anthony from capturing PBA Triple Crown and Grand Slam honors.
Anthony, who ran away from the field to win titles when no other left-hander even made the match play cut, was a six-time PBA Player of the Year, won the George Young High Average award five times and was the first player in PBA history to surpass $1 million in career earnings. In a 2000 poll of industry experts conducted by Bowling Magazine, Anthony was declared “Master of the Millennium,” symbolic of being the best bowler in the more than 100 years of organized bowling in America.
He was 45 when he stunned the bowling world by announcing his retirement from the PBA Tour at the end of 1983 – a season when he won his final PBA National Championship and his sixth Player of the Year title. Anthony returned in 1984 to bowl in – and win - the USBC Masters. He re-surfaced in 1988 to bowl a limited number of PBA Senior Tour events, winning seven times and boosting his PBA career earnings total to $1.4 million before permanently retiring. He still ranks third in career TV appearances (114) and second in most consecutive years with at least one title (15).
Anthony was inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame in 1983 and into the USBC Hall of Fame in 1986.
How can you top that? Well, Williams has systematically eclipsed Anthony’s records almost across the board. Williams, who turned 48 in October, has more longevity than Anthony as a touring player and he’s right-handed, so experts have wrestled with those distinctions when weighing their votes.
Beyond those two factors, Williams is still one of the most feared players in the world. He has now won 45 PBA Tour titles, including seven “majors.” The only title he is missing to complete the Triple Crown and Grand Slam is the Tournament of Champions, where he’ll be considered one of the favorites this week.
Among his other astonishing stats: with his win in the Lake County Indiana Golden Anniversary Championship in November, he broke a tie with Anthony in winning a title for the 16th consecutive year. He has won a PBA-record seven Harry Smith Point Leader titles. He owns the single-season earnings record ($419,700 in 2002-03) and is the first player to exceed $4 million in career earnings.
Williams has made a record 166 TV appearances – 47 more than runner-up Pete Weber. He also has been selected PBA Player of the Year six times, matching Anthony’s total, but he has been selected to U.S. Bowler’s All-America first team 17 times – five more than Anthony.
Maybe the most impressive thing about Williams is that he’s still bowling like a 20-year-old. He’s a long way from calling it a career.
Who’s No. 1? Tune in to the finals of the H&R Block Tournament of Champions on ESPN Sunday at 12:30 p.m. (Eastern; 9:30 a.m. Pacific) and you’ll find out.
PROFESSIONAL BOWLERS ASSOCIATION
50 GREATEST PLAYERS IN PBA HISTORY
1. ???
2. ???
3. Dick Weber
4. Pete Weber
5. Mark Roth
6. Mike Aulby
7. Norm Duke
8. Don Johnson
9. Marshall Holman
10. Parker Bohn III
11. Don Carter
12. Billy Hardwick
13. Brian Voss
14. Dick Ritger
15. Nelson Burton Jr.
16. John Petraglia
17. Carmen Salvino
18. Wayne Webb
19. Dave Davis
20. Dave Soutar
21. Amleto Monacelli
22. Mike Durbin
23. Dave Husted
24. Jason Couch
25. Steve Cook
26. Chris Barnes
27. Jim Stefanich
28. Harry Smith
29. Del Ballard Jr.
30. Tommy Jones
31. Wayne Zahn
32. Jim Godman
33. George Pappas
34. David Ozio
35. Randy Pedersen
36. Dave Ferraro
37. Larry Laub
38. Bill Allen
39. Mike McGrath
40. Joe Berardi
41. Tom Baker
42. Danny Wiseman
43. Doug Kent
44. Patrick Allen
45. John Guenther
46. Gary Dickinson
47. Barry Asher
48. Tommy Hudson
49. Mika Koivuniemi
50. Bob Strampe
About the PBA
The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) features the best bowlers in the world competing in National, Regional and Senior Tour events and will award over $4.3 million in prize money during the 2008-09 Lumber Liquidators PBA National Tour. The organization has more than 4,000 members spanning 13 countries, and nearly one million viewers tune-in to watch the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour every Sunday on ESPN throughout the season. PBA sponsors include Bayer, Brunswick, CLR, Denny's, Etonic, Flomax, GEICO, Go RVing, H&R Block, Lumber Liquidators, Motel 6, Pepsi-Cola and the USBC, among others. For more information on the PBA, log on to www.pba.com.
Mike Jakubowski | PR/Media Relations
Professional Bowlers Association | 719 Second Avenue, Suite 701 | Seattle, WA 98104
Tel: 414.651.6965 | Fax: 206.332.9722 | mike.jakubowski@pba.com
Who’s No. 1? PBA to Name Its Greatest Player Ever on Sunday
Anthony, Williams Still in the Race for Best Bowler in PBA’s First 50 Years
SEATTLE (January 20, 2009) – Who is the greatest player in the Professional Bowlers Association’s first 50 years? The answer to that question will finally be revealed during the live ESPN telecast of the H&R Block PBA Tournament of Champions on Sunday.
The last two names on the list of the 50 best PBA players ever, as selected by a national panel of bowling industry experts, are the late Earl Anthony and current star Walter Ray Williams Jr.
Who would you pick?
Anthony, who bowled most of his career out of Tacoma, Wash., was the most dominant left-handed player in PBA history, winning 43 PBA Tour titles – a record that stood for 30 years before Williams broke it in 2007. Among his titles, however, are a PBA-record 10 “majors” including six PBA National Championships. He won that prestigious event three times in a row twice. He also won a pair of United States Bowling Congress Masters titles and two Tournament of Champions crowns, but the U.S. Open eluded him and prevented Anthony from capturing PBA Triple Crown and Grand Slam honors.
Anthony, who ran away from the field to win titles when no other left-hander even made the match play cut, was a six-time PBA Player of the Year, won the George Young High Average award five times and was the first player in PBA history to surpass $1 million in career earnings. In a 2000 poll of industry experts conducted by Bowling Magazine, Anthony was declared “Master of the Millennium,” symbolic of being the best bowler in the more than 100 years of organized bowling in America.
He was 45 when he stunned the bowling world by announcing his retirement from the PBA Tour at the end of 1983 – a season when he won his final PBA National Championship and his sixth Player of the Year title. Anthony returned in 1984 to bowl in – and win - the USBC Masters. He re-surfaced in 1988 to bowl a limited number of PBA Senior Tour events, winning seven times and boosting his PBA career earnings total to $1.4 million before permanently retiring. He still ranks third in career TV appearances (114) and second in most consecutive years with at least one title (15).
Anthony was inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame in 1983 and into the USBC Hall of Fame in 1986.
How can you top that? Well, Williams has systematically eclipsed Anthony’s records almost across the board. Williams, who turned 48 in October, has more longevity than Anthony as a touring player and he’s right-handed, so experts have wrestled with those distinctions when weighing their votes.
Beyond those two factors, Williams is still one of the most feared players in the world. He has now won 45 PBA Tour titles, including seven “majors.” The only title he is missing to complete the Triple Crown and Grand Slam is the Tournament of Champions, where he’ll be considered one of the favorites this week.
Among his other astonishing stats: with his win in the Lake County Indiana Golden Anniversary Championship in November, he broke a tie with Anthony in winning a title for the 16th consecutive year. He has won a PBA-record seven Harry Smith Point Leader titles. He owns the single-season earnings record ($419,700 in 2002-03) and is the first player to exceed $4 million in career earnings.
Williams has made a record 166 TV appearances – 47 more than runner-up Pete Weber. He also has been selected PBA Player of the Year six times, matching Anthony’s total, but he has been selected to U.S. Bowler’s All-America first team 17 times – five more than Anthony.
Maybe the most impressive thing about Williams is that he’s still bowling like a 20-year-old. He’s a long way from calling it a career.
Who’s No. 1? Tune in to the finals of the H&R Block Tournament of Champions on ESPN Sunday at 12:30 p.m. (Eastern; 9:30 a.m. Pacific) and you’ll find out.
PROFESSIONAL BOWLERS ASSOCIATION
50 GREATEST PLAYERS IN PBA HISTORY
1. ???
2. ???
3. Dick Weber
4. Pete Weber
5. Mark Roth
6. Mike Aulby
7. Norm Duke
8. Don Johnson
9. Marshall Holman
10. Parker Bohn III
11. Don Carter
12. Billy Hardwick
13. Brian Voss
14. Dick Ritger
15. Nelson Burton Jr.
16. John Petraglia
17. Carmen Salvino
18. Wayne Webb
19. Dave Davis
20. Dave Soutar
21. Amleto Monacelli
22. Mike Durbin
23. Dave Husted
24. Jason Couch
25. Steve Cook
26. Chris Barnes
27. Jim Stefanich
28. Harry Smith
29. Del Ballard Jr.
30. Tommy Jones
31. Wayne Zahn
32. Jim Godman
33. George Pappas
34. David Ozio
35. Randy Pedersen
36. Dave Ferraro
37. Larry Laub
38. Bill Allen
39. Mike McGrath
40. Joe Berardi
41. Tom Baker
42. Danny Wiseman
43. Doug Kent
44. Patrick Allen
45. John Guenther
46. Gary Dickinson
47. Barry Asher
48. Tommy Hudson
49. Mika Koivuniemi
50. Bob Strampe
About the PBA
The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) features the best bowlers in the world competing in National, Regional and Senior Tour events and will award over $4.3 million in prize money during the 2008-09 Lumber Liquidators PBA National Tour. The organization has more than 4,000 members spanning 13 countries, and nearly one million viewers tune-in to watch the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour every Sunday on ESPN throughout the season. PBA sponsors include Bayer, Brunswick, CLR, Denny's, Etonic, Flomax, GEICO, Go RVing, H&R Block, Lumber Liquidators, Motel 6, Pepsi-Cola and the USBC, among others. For more information on the PBA, log on to www.pba.com.