America’s Largest Bowling Alleys (1944)

State Fair Recreation (Detroit) is now Renaissance Bowling Center, with 40 lanes.  Are any of  the other places still in business?

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Newsday Eastern Open

Originally called the Long Island Individual Tournament, the local daily paper Newsday took over sponsorship of the event in 1952.  The Newsday Eastern Open was a marathon competition, in some years stretching out to 72 games, and became known as “The All-Star of the East.”  The newspaper dropped out after the 1980 event, and the tournament itself died a few years later. 

Tournament Champions—

1948   Graz Castellano, Jackson Heights, NY

1949   George Cahn, Hempstead, NY

1950   Graz Castellano, Jackson Heights, NY

1951   Tony Sparando, Rego Park, NY

1952   Jack Horn, Bayside, NY

1953   Junie McMahon, Fairlawn, NJ

1954   Graz Castellano, Jackson Heights, NY

1955   Marty Cassio, Rahway, NJ

1956   Morris Cramer, Albany, NY

1957   Morris Cramer, Albany, NY

1958   Stan Thaden, Chicago

1959   Dick Weber, St. Louis

1960   Dick Weber, St. Louis

1961   Johnny Meyer, Mineola, NY

1962   Teata Semiz, North Milford, NJ

1963   Teata Semiz, North Milford, NJ

1964   Ted Hoffman Jr, Plymouth Meeting, PA

1965   Sis Mantovani, Hewlett, NY

1966   Pete Anderson, North Babylon, NY

1967   Dick Battista, Astoria, NY

1968   Dick Battista, Astoria, NY

1969   Johnny Petraglia, Brooklyn

1970   Dick Battista, Astoria, NY

1971   Jimmy McHugh, New York

1972   Johnny Petraglia, Brooklyn

1973   Doc Iandoli, New York

1974   Doc Iandoli, New York

1975   Mark Roth, Staten Island

1976   Ed DiTolla, Maywood, NJ

1977   Pete Pastor, Bay Shore, NY

1978   Johnny Petraglia, Staten Island

1979   Ralph Hartmann, New Hyde Park, NY

1980   Stan Marchut, Paramus, NJ

1981   Hank Behrbom, Long Island City, NY

1982   Johnny Petraglia, Staten Island

1983   Duane Fisher, Pennsauken, NJ

1984   Rudy Kasimakis, Long Island City, NY

Ray Schalk’s Holiday Team Tournament

Sponsored by baseball great Ray Schalk, this four-game event brought the nation’s finest teams to Chicago during the first week of the New Year. Initially staged at Beverly Recreation, in 1942 the Schalk moved to Evergreen Towers Bowl in suburban Evergreen Park. The tournament was suspended after 1966. 

World Classic Tournament 1922

This tournament, the first national individual match-game event, was created by Louis Petersen in 1922.  The purpose was to determine an official match-game champion.  An invited field of 24 bowlers rolled 115 games on four specially-built lanes in the Chicago Coliseum.  The tournament winner was decided on the basis of Petersen Points.  But to be recognized as the match-game champion, the tournament winner would then have to defeat the 2nd-, 3rd-, and 4th-place finishers in separate 60 game matches.  If he lost any of these matches, the title would remain vacant.  After winning the Classic, Blouin later defeated Wolf, Lindsey, and Smith to gain recognition as the first official match-game champion.

  

 

  

Masters Tournament 1968

The eighteenth ABC Masters was held at the Cincinnati Convention Center, April 20-24, 1968, with a field of 480 bowlers.  The final showdown was billed “The Battle of the Ages,” pitting 60-year-old tournament leader Buzz Fazio against 29-year-old losers bracket survivor Pete Tountas.  First Tountas defeated Fazio, 882-821, to force another match.  Then, in the second match, Tountas won the championship in a final-frame thriller, 847-843.

 

 

Masters Tournament 1967

The seventeenth ABC Masters was held at the Miami Beach Convention Center, April 29-May 3, 1967, with a field of 480 bowlers.  In the final showdown, tournament leader (and hometown favorite) Lou Scalia overcame a 50-pin deficit to defeat losers bracket survivor Bill Johnson, 858-839. 

 

 

 

Masters Tournament 1966

The sixteenth ABC Masters was held at the Community War Memorial in Rochester, May 14-18, 1966, with a field 0f 480 bowlers.  Bob Strampe went undefeated to win the event, beating losers bracket survivor Al Thompson in the final match, 873-799. 

   

 

 

Masters Tournament 1965

The fifteen ABC Masters returned to its 1951 birthplace, the Municipal Auditorium in St. Paul, on May 22-26, 1965.  A field of 480 men competed.  Billy Welu became the second champion to successfully defend his title by surviving the losers bracket, then defeating tournament leader Don Ellis twice—first 778-735, then 832-782.  Four of the top eight finalists actually out-averaged Welu, illustrating the vagaries of the double-elimination match-game format.

1965 MASTERS

Top eight finalists

NAME                                                 W-L       Average     Prize

1—Billy Welu, St. Louis                         9-1        202-12     $4450

2—Don Ellis Houston                             6-2       197-24

3—Dale Seavoy, Detroit                        5-2        210-25

4—Carl Winfield, Los Angeles                 5-2        207-19

5—Dick Weber, St. Louis                       7-2        208-27

6—Jerry Dutler, Mankato, MN                7-2        198-39

7—Harry Smith, Baltimore                     5-2        213-23

8—Mike Fessler, Pasadena                     4-3        197-15

 

Masters Tournament 1964

The fourteenth ABC Masters Tournament was held at the Oakland Auditorium in Oakland, April 18-22, 1964.  The field was 448 men.  Billy Welu averaged a record 227, going undefeated in seven straight matches, to win his first Masters.  In the final showdown he beat defending champion Harry Smith, the losers bracket survivor, 841-803.

 

 

 

Masters Tournament 1963

The thirteenth ABC Masters Tournament was held at the New York State Armory in Buffalo, April 20-24, 1963, with a field of 480 men.  Tournament leader Harry Smith swamped losers bracket survivor Bobby Meadows in the final, 866-746, for his first Masters championship and second major title.