Hall of famer joins 65-Year Club at 2015 USBC Open Championships
April 15, 2015
By Matt Cannizzaro and Mel Lindemann
USBC Communications
EL PASO, Texas - Competitors at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships get recognized each day for a variety of performance and participation milestones, and for many others, the possibility of hearing their names announced in the squad room is part of the motivation for bowling each year.
USBC Hall of Famer Don Ellis of Sugar Land, Texas, has been a fixture on the tournament announcements for more than five decades, but his annual moment in the spotlight now will last a little longer after his most recent USBC Open Championships milestone.
The 86-year-old right-hander made a memorable march down Center Aisle at the El Paso Convention on Tuesday and added his name to the short list of bowlers who have reached 65 years of participation on the championship lanes. He received a plaque, chevron and custom ring to recognize his place in history as the eighth member of the tournament's 65-Year Club.
Ellis made his Open Championships debut at the 1947 event in Los Angeles when he was just 18 years old, and after missing a few years while serving in the U.S. Army, he has been to every tournament since 1955.
His dedication also helped him become one of 15 members of the event's 100,000-Pin Club. He entered the 2015 tournament in fifth place on the all-time pinfall list, now topped by fellow USBC Hall of Famer Bill Lillard Sr. of Houston, who secured the top spot late last month with a career pinfall total of 124,087 in 68 consecutive appearances.
Ellis' lone Open Championships title came in the 1961 Classic Doubles title with hall of famer Joe Kristoff, while his bowling resume also includes a win at the 1955 Peterson Classic and a runner-up finish at the 1965 USBC Masters.
After that nearly masterful performance, Ellis' focus changed from bowling to business and family life.
"Back then, bowling didn't pay the bills, so I became a proprietor in order to support my family and still keep my hand in bowling," said Ellis, who spent nearly 50 years as a proprietor in the Houston area. "Bowling and family just go together."
Ellis has been able to compete with and against some of the best players in the game, but bowling with his family has been exceptionally memorable. One of his favorite moments was the first time he was able to bowl with his daughter in her first Open Championship, while his son, Don Ellis Jr., has logged 30 years of his own on the tournament lanes.
"It's hard to put one tournament over the others and say 'this one is the best,'" said Ellis, who also has two top-three finishes in team and one fourth-place finish in all-events at the Open Championships. "I've been to every state except Maine and Alaska. There have been so many things, so when you talk about what was the most fun, I guess you can say whatever we did at the time was the most fun."
This year at the Open Championships, Ellis shot 404 in doubles and 382 in team to increase his career pinfall total to 114,143 for a 191 average for 65 years. He did not compete in singles this year.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open/Women's Championships page.
USBC Communications
EL PASO, Texas - Competitors at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships get recognized each day for a variety of performance and participation milestones, and for many others, the possibility of hearing their names announced in the squad room is part of the motivation for bowling each year.
USBC Hall of Famer Don Ellis of Sugar Land, Texas, has been a fixture on the tournament announcements for more than five decades, but his annual moment in the spotlight now will last a little longer after his most recent USBC Open Championships milestone.
The 86-year-old right-hander made a memorable march down Center Aisle at the El Paso Convention on Tuesday and added his name to the short list of bowlers who have reached 65 years of participation on the championship lanes. He received a plaque, chevron and custom ring to recognize his place in history as the eighth member of the tournament's 65-Year Club.
Ellis made his Open Championships debut at the 1947 event in Los Angeles when he was just 18 years old, and after missing a few years while serving in the U.S. Army, he has been to every tournament since 1955.
His dedication also helped him become one of 15 members of the event's 100,000-Pin Club. He entered the 2015 tournament in fifth place on the all-time pinfall list, now topped by fellow USBC Hall of Famer Bill Lillard Sr. of Houston, who secured the top spot late last month with a career pinfall total of 124,087 in 68 consecutive appearances.
Ellis' lone Open Championships title came in the 1961 Classic Doubles title with hall of famer Joe Kristoff, while his bowling resume also includes a win at the 1955 Peterson Classic and a runner-up finish at the 1965 USBC Masters.
After that nearly masterful performance, Ellis' focus changed from bowling to business and family life.
"Back then, bowling didn't pay the bills, so I became a proprietor in order to support my family and still keep my hand in bowling," said Ellis, who spent nearly 50 years as a proprietor in the Houston area. "Bowling and family just go together."
Ellis has been able to compete with and against some of the best players in the game, but bowling with his family has been exceptionally memorable. One of his favorite moments was the first time he was able to bowl with his daughter in her first Open Championship, while his son, Don Ellis Jr., has logged 30 years of his own on the tournament lanes.
"It's hard to put one tournament over the others and say 'this one is the best,'" said Ellis, who also has two top-three finishes in team and one fourth-place finish in all-events at the Open Championships. "I've been to every state except Maine and Alaska. There have been so many things, so when you talk about what was the most fun, I guess you can say whatever we did at the time was the most fun."
This year at the Open Championships, Ellis shot 404 in doubles and 382 in team to increase his career pinfall total to 114,143 for a 191 average for 65 years. He did not compete in singles this year.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open/Women's Championships page.