Earl Anthony facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Earl Anthony
Earl Anthony, 1979
Born	Earl Roderick Anthony (1938-04-27)April 27, 1938 Tacoma, Washington
Died	August 14, 2001(2001-08-14) (aged 63) New Berlin, Wisconsin
Years active	1963-1997
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Bowling Information
Affiliation	PBA
Rookie year	1970
Dominant hand	Left (stroker delivery)
Wins	43 PBA Tour (10 majors) 7 PBA Senior Tour
Sponsors	Brunswick

Earl Roderick Anthony (born April 27, 1938 – died August 14, 2001) was an American professional bowler. He set amazing records with 43 wins and six Player of the Year awards on the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour. For many years, people thought he had 41 wins. But in 2008, the PBA added two more titles. These were for championships he won that were later counted as PBA titles.

Earl Anthony is known for making bowling more popular in the United States. He was the first bowler to earn over $100,000 in one season (1975). He was also the first to reach $1,000,000 in total PBA earnings (1982). He won ten major professional titles. These include six PBA National Championships, two Firestone Tournament of Champions titles, and two ABC Masters titles. This is the second-highest number of major titles ever.

He is one of only three bowlers to win 40 titles on the PBA Tour. He is also one of three bowlers to earn at least 50 titles combined. This includes wins on the PBA Tour and the PBA Senior Tour.

Earl was not flashy. He was called "Square Earl" by other pro bowlers. A book about his bowling career was published in 2019. It is called Earl: The Greatest Bowler of All Time.

PBA career

Earl Anthony started bowling when he joined his company's league. This was after he served in the United States Air Force. In his first season, his average score was 165. By his third season, it jumped to 217. In 1963, he played in three PBA tournaments. He wanted to see what it would be like to play professionally. He didn't win any money, but he learned how much he needed to improve.

To get ready for the tour, Earl practiced a lot. He bowled 300 to 350 games a week. This was up to eight hours a day. Sometimes he practiced without pins to save money. After six years of hard practice, Earl became a professional bowler in January 1970. He was 31 years old. In his first tournament, he made it to the TV finals. But he lost the final match and finished second.

Earl won his first PBA title on June 7, 1970. He beat Allie Clarke at the Heidelberg Open in Seattle, Washington. His last PBA title was a major one. It was the 1983 Toledo Trust PBA National Championship. He won six of his titles by winning the PBA National Championship three times in a row, twice! He won from 1973 to 1975 and again from 1981 to 1983.

After taking nine months off, Earl won his second ABC Masters tournament in 1984. At that time, this tournament was not part of the PBA Tour. Earl had also won the Masters in 1977. Later, the PBA decided to count ABC Masters titles as PBA titles. This meant Earl won at least one PBA title for 15 years in a row (1970–84). This was a PBA record for a long time.

Earl joined the PBA Senior Tour in 1988. He won seven more titles there. This gave him a total of 50 PBA titles.

By 1988, Earl had bowled 25 perfect 300 games. Sadly, none of these were shown on TV in the United States. He did bowl two games where he scored 299 on TV. In one, he left a single 9-pin standing. He later said he couldn't believe that pin stayed up. Earl did bowl a perfect 300 game on TV in Japan. Over 50 million people watched it!

After he retired, Earl became a TV commentator. He also ran a bowling center in Dublin, California.

Personal life and death

Earl Anthony was born in Tacoma, Washington. Before he became a professional bowler, he was a minor league baseball pitcher. He played for the Baltimore Orioles team. He was also a great golfer. When he was 60, he could play golf almost perfectly. He once set a course record at Crow Canyon Country Club with a score of 64.

He was married to Susie Anthony. They had a son, Mike, and two daughters, Tracy and Jeri.

Earl missed some time on the PBA Tour in 1978. He had a heart attack in June of that year. But less than three months later, he was back on tour. He finished third in a tournament.

Earl Anthony died in 2001. He was 63 years old. He had head injuries from falling down stairs at a friend's house.

The "Earl Anthony Memorial Scholarship Fund" was created to help young bowlers. It gives scholarships to students.

In January 2002, the PBA started a tournament named after Earl. It was called "The Earl Anthony Memorial Classic." It was first held in Kirkland, Washington. Later, it moved to Medford, Oregon. In 2010 and 2011, it was held in Dublin, California.

Legacy

Earl Anthony was voted into the PBA Hall of Fame in 1981. He was also voted into the ABC Hall of Fame in 1986. In 2000, he was named "Master of the Millennium" in a vote by Bowling Magazine. In a Sports Illustrated vote, he was named the 2nd Greatest Athlete in the history of Washington State.

The famous bowler Dick Weber called Earl "the greatest speed-control bowler ever." When Earl won his 30th title in 1978, Dick Weber was on TV. He called Earl "the undisputed King of Bowling." Earl's record of 41 titles lasted for 23 years. It was broken by Walter Ray Williams Jr. in 2006. However, Earl's total went up to 43 in 2008. This was when the PBA started counting ABC Masters titles for PBA members. Earl made it to the top five for TV finals a record 144 times.

In 2008, the PBA ranked the "50 Greatest Bowlers of the Last 50 Years." Earl Anthony was ranked #1. This was even though Walter Ray Williams Jr. had broken many of his records. Walter Ray Williams Jr. said Earl's record was better because he achieved it in fewer years.

The robot used to test bowling balls is named "E.A.R.L." This stands for "Enhanced Automated Robotic Launcher." A young bowler named it after Earl Anthony. She said it was because of his "machine-like" bowling style. The PBA World Championship now uses an oil pattern called the "Earl Anthony oil pattern." This honors the man who won that event a record six times.

Awards and recognition

• Six-time BWAA Bowler of the Year (1974–76 and 1981–83)
• Six-time PBA Player of the Year (1974–76 and 1981–83)
• Twelve-time First Team All-American (1972–83)
• Five-time George Young High Average award winner (1973–75, 1980, 1983)
• Held the PBA record for most years winning at least one tournament (15). This record was broken in 2008.
• Holds PBA record of 15 TV finals appearances in one season (1975, 1981)
• Holds a record six wins in the PBA National Championship among his ten major tournament titles
• Inducted into PBA Hall of Fame, 1981
• Inducted into ABC (now USBC) Hall of Fame, 1986
• Voted "Bowler of the Millennium" in a 2000 poll
• Voted the greatest PBA player ever in 2008

Career tour titles

PBA Tour Titles

Major championships are in bold text.

1. 1970 Heidelberg Open, Seattle, Washington.
2. 1971 Cougar Open, New York, New York.
3. 1972 Portland Open, Portland, Oregon.
4. 1972 Japan Starlanes Open, Redwood City, California.
5. 1972 American Airlines Open, St. Louis, Missouri.
6. 1973 Seattle Open, Seattle, Washington.
7. 1973 PBA National Championship, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
8. 1974 PBA Tournament of Champions, Akron, Ohio.
9. 1974 PBA National Championship, Downey, California.
10. 1974 Home Box Office Open, San Jose, California.
11. 1974 Fresno Open, Fresno, California.
12. 1974 Canada Dry Open, Cleveland, Ohio.
13. 1974 Winston-Salem Hawaiian Invitational, Honolulu, Hawaii.
14. 1975 Greater L.A. Open, Arcadia, California.
15. 1975 Long Island Open, Garden City, New York.
16. 1975 PBA National Championship, Downey, California.
17. 1975 Quad Cities Open, Davenport, Iowa.
18. 1975 Jackson Open, Jackson, New Jersey.
19. 1975 Waukegan Open, Waukegan, Illinois.
20. 1975 Buzz Fazio Open, Battle Creek, Michigan.
21. 1976 Midas Open, Windsor Locks, Connecticut.
22. 1976 AMF Dick Weber Five-Star Open, Tamarac, Florida.
23. 1976 Fresno HBO Open, Fresno, California.
24. 1976 Waukegan Open, Waukegan, Illinois.
25. 1976 Buzz Fazio Open, Battle Creek, Michigan
26. 1976 AMF Grand Prix of Bowling, Allen Park, Michigan.
27. 1977 Miller Lite Classic, Torrance, California.
28. 1977 ABC Masters, Miami, Florida.
29. 1977 Waukegan Open, Waukegan, Illinois.
30. 1978 AMF Magicscore Open, Kissimmee, Florida.
31. 1978 PBA Tournament of Champions, Akron, Ohio.
32. 1979 Long Island Open, Garden City, New York.
33. 1980 Long Island Open, Garden City, New York.
34. 1981 Rolaids Open, Florissant, Missouri.
35. 1981 AMF Magicscore Open, Peoria, Illinois.
36. 1981 PBA National Championship, Toledo, Ohio.
37. 1981 Long Island Open, Garden City, New York.
38. 1982 ARC Alameda Open, Alameda, California.
39. 1982 PBA National Championship, Toledo, Ohio.
40. 1982 Miller High Life Open, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
41. 1983 True Value Open, Peoria, Illinois.
42. 1983 PBA National Championship, Toledo, Ohio.
43. 1984 ABC Masters, Washington, New Jersey.

Images for kids

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  Photo of Earl Anthony holding trophy for shooting 300 on live TV in Japan PBA Tournament

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  Signed and attested scratch 64 golf score by Earl Anthony

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  Signed and attested scratch 64 golf score by Earl Anthony

See also

In Spanish: Earl Anthony para niños