Mike Fagan facts for kids
Fagan in 2011
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Michael Todd Fagan | |||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | King of Swing, Argyle Assassin | |||||||||||||
| Born | November 4, 1980 Westbury, New York, U.S. |
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| Years active | 2002–2016 | |||||||||||||
| Spouse(s) | Emily Maier | |||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||
| Country | United States | |||||||||||||
| Sport | Ten-pin bowling | |||||||||||||
| League | PBA | |||||||||||||
| Turned pro | 2002 | |||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||||
| World finals | 5 European Bowling Tour | |||||||||||||
| National finals | 5 PBA Tour (2 majors) | |||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Michael Todd Fagan (born November 4, 1980) is an American former professional bowler. He played on the PBA Tour, which is a major professional bowling league. Mike also competed in international events as part of Team USA. He was known for his unique bowling style, especially his high backswing, which earned him the nickname "King of Swing."
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Mike's Pro Bowling Journey
Mike Fagan started his professional bowling career in the 2002-2003 season. He won five big tournaments on the PBA Tour, and two of these were "major championships," which are the most important events.
He won his first PBA title in 2008. This was a doubles event, meaning he teamed up with another bowler, Danny Wiseman. Mike won his first singles title in 2010 at the One-a-Day Dick Weber Open. He beat the legendary bowler Walter Ray Williams, Jr. in the final match.
Mike had lost his first TV appearance in 2003. But in 2012, he got his revenge! He won his third title and first major championship at the USBC Masters. He was behind by 30 pins but made an amazing comeback to beat Chris Barnes. Mike almost won another major title that same year at the U.S. Open. He lost by just one pin to Pete Weber in a very close game.
His next win was at the 2012 Brunswick Euro Challenge, an international event. This win counted as his fourth PBA title. The 2011-2012 season was his best year, as he won more than $116,000!
Mike won his fifth career title and second major championship at the PBA World Championship in 2015. He beat Wes Malott in the final match with a score of 252 to 212.
Major PBA Tour Wins
Major championships are shown in bold text.
- 2008 PBA Exempt Doubles Classic with Danny Wiseman (in Las Vegas, Nevada)
- 2010 One-A-Day Dick Weber Open (in Fountain Valley, California)
- 2012 Alka-Seltzer Plus Liquid Gels USBC Masters (in Henderson, Nevada)
- 2012 Brunswick Euro Challenge (in Sainte-Maxime, France)
- 2015 PBA World Championship (in Las Vegas, Nevada)
Other Cool Achievements
- Before 2012, Mike's best finish at a major tournament was third place at the 2006 U.S. Open.
- He bowled four perfect 300 games in the 2007-2008 season. A perfect game means knocking down all the pins every time! By 2016, he had bowled 21 perfect games in PBA events.
- Mike earned over $892,000 in his PBA Tour career by 2016. He also won two PBA Regional titles.
- In 2005, he played against Liz Johnson in a regional tournament. She became the first female bowler to win a PBA tournament!
- He has won five European Bowling Tour (EBT) titles.
- Mike was a member of Team USA five times (in 2010-2011 and 2013-2015).
- He also helped lead the PBA Player Committee and was on the USBC Board of Directors.
Mike's Life Outside Bowling
Mike Fagan grew up in Patchogue, New York. He now lives in Las Vegas with his wife, Emily. Emily also bowled in college and was part of Team USA in 2010. They got married in 2013.
Mike studied Finance at St. John's University. In 2015, he decided to bowl less often on the PBA Tour. He wanted to go back to school to get his MBA degree at the University of California, Berkeley.
He only played in three PBA Tour events in 2016 and didn't play at all in 2017. By 2020, Mike was working as a Director of Business Development for a company that owns bowling centers in Minnesota.
