Maynard Johnson becomes 15th member of 100,000-Pin Club
April 13, 2014
RENO, Nev. - Maynard Johnson of Crystal, Minn., became the 15th member of the 100,000-Pin Club at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships during his singles event Sunday at the National Bowling Stadium.
The 83-year-old right-hander entered the 2014 tournament with a career pinfall of 98,753, and needed 1,247 pins this weekend to reach the milestone in his 61st USBC Open Championships appearance. At the 2013 event, also held at the NBS, Johnson became the 17th bowler in tournament history to reach 60 years of participation on the championship lanes.
After starting this year's tournament with a 468 series in team, Johnson returned to the Stadium on Sunday and added a 470 doubles set. He then started singles with a head of steam and delivered a nine-count in the seventh frame of his second game to etch his name in the record books once again.
He finished singles with a 559 series for a 1,497 all-events total, bringing his career pinfall to 100,250, a 184.6 average. Johnson was presented with the coveted Open Championships crystal pin to commemorate the milestone.
"It means a lot," said Johnson, who made his Open Championships debut at the 1951 event in St. Paul, Minn. "It's been a long battle, but I've enjoyed coming every year. I didn't know exactly what I needed, but I bowled so poorly in team and doubles that I knew I'd be embarrassed if I didn't make it. I had a decent first game and figured that put me over the top. It's something that I wanted to do, and it made me happy that I finally did it."
USBC Hall of Famer Joe Norris sits atop the career pinfall list with 123,770 pins, toppled over the span of a record-tying 71 Open Championships. Fellow hall of famer Bill Lillard Sr. of Houston is the active pinfall leader and recently increased his career mark to 122,918. He is just 852 pins away from tying Norris' mark and is scheduled to break the record next year in his home state when the tournament travels to El Paso, Texas, for the first time in history.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open/Women's Championships page.
Presenting sponsors for the 2014 USBC Open Championships include Circus Circus Reno, Eldorado Hotel Casino Reno and Silver Legacy Resort Casino Reno.
The 83-year-old right-hander entered the 2014 tournament with a career pinfall of 98,753, and needed 1,247 pins this weekend to reach the milestone in his 61st USBC Open Championships appearance. At the 2013 event, also held at the NBS, Johnson became the 17th bowler in tournament history to reach 60 years of participation on the championship lanes.
After starting this year's tournament with a 468 series in team, Johnson returned to the Stadium on Sunday and added a 470 doubles set. He then started singles with a head of steam and delivered a nine-count in the seventh frame of his second game to etch his name in the record books once again. He finished singles with a 559 series for a 1,497 all-events total, bringing his career pinfall to 100,250, a 184.6 average. Johnson was presented with the coveted Open Championships crystal pin to commemorate the milestone.
"It means a lot," said Johnson, who made his Open Championships debut at the 1951 event in St. Paul, Minn. "It's been a long battle, but I've enjoyed coming every year. I didn't know exactly what I needed, but I bowled so poorly in team and doubles that I knew I'd be embarrassed if I didn't make it. I had a decent first game and figured that put me over the top. It's something that I wanted to do, and it made me happy that I finally did it."
USBC Hall of Famer Joe Norris sits atop the career pinfall list with 123,770 pins, toppled over the span of a record-tying 71 Open Championships. Fellow hall of famer Bill Lillard Sr. of Houston is the active pinfall leader and recently increased his career mark to 122,918. He is just 852 pins away from tying Norris' mark and is scheduled to break the record next year in his home state when the tournament travels to El Paso, Texas, for the first time in history.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open/Women's Championships page.
Presenting sponsors for the 2014 USBC Open Championships include Circus Circus Reno, Eldorado Hotel Casino Reno and Silver Legacy Resort Casino Reno.