SUMMARY

Bob bowled in Kokomo for over 40 years.  Bob was a very good bowler who decided to give back greatly to the game via coaching once his kids got old enough to bowl.  He was the most prolific coach in Kokomo’s history teaching over 100 other bowlers to be coaches.  This was recognized in one of the bowling magazines.  His son Bryan and daughter Sue Ann became excellent bowlers as well.

SERVICE

• Organized a Learn to Bowl Better class at Cedar Crest in 1995
• In 1996 was named one of only four YABA In-State Instructors
• Bronze and Silver Level coach
• Team USA bowling instructor
• At the end of 1998 Bob ranked first in the state and sixth in the nation in the number of bowling coaches he has trained! At that time, he had trained 139 instructors in the YABA Junior Olympics program.
• He has coached from 1986 through at least 1998
• YABA Zone 2 Director for many years retiring in 2000 (state youth board)

BOWLING PERFORMANCE

• Averages
  • Career high average of 187 in the 1973-74 season
  • This was the 9^th highest average that season with Carl Babb and Charlie Branch leading with 190
  • Was averaging 180 in two leagues in February 1962
  • From the 1965-66 season through the 1967-68 season, he averaged 173, 180 and 181
  • No average books exist between the 1968-69 season and the 1972-73 season
  • From the 1973-74 season through the 1999-2000 season his averages were 187, 182, 175, 177, 175, 167, 169, x, x, 166, 169, 166, 181, 161, 182, x, x, 177, 168, 96??, x, 139, 144, 150, 150, 146, x
  • From the 2000-01 season through the 2008-09 season, he averaged x, x, 135, 150, 163, 156, x, 148, 146
• High Series
  • Bob’s highest league series that could be found is 681
  • Led the newspaper Honor Roll for high series with 681 (11/1/1967), 677 (12/12/1969), 639 (1/7/1972) and 671 (1/26/1974)
  • Other high series noted in the newspaper were 652, 646, 642, 641, 640
  • Shot a 788 series at Play Bowl in February 1962 in a qualifying for the Inter City Bowling Live TV show from Hindel Bowl in Indianapolis – not in league play! He rolled games of 276-278-234 with a 14-pound Brunswick Fireball (top 3 of 4 games)
  • Bob won there with games of 182 and 225 but lost in the semi-finals the next week and did not get to compete for “King of the Hill”
  • Keep in mind that the Kokomo series record at the time was Mike Wikel’s 768
• High Games
  • 278 (2), 276 and a 278 in television qualifier but not in league play

CAREER HIGHS

Game – 278

Series – 681 (also a 788 in a qualifier)

Average 187