Tournament Facts


  • The first USBC Open Championships (formerly the AmericanBowling Congress Championships Tournament) was conducted inChicago's Welsbach Building in 1901. The entry fee was $5 per eventand 41 teams competed for a $1,592 prize fund. There was noall-events entry fee because that category was not yetrecognized.
  • The tournament received 100 team entries for the first time in1904.
  • In 1908, ABC declared that the all-events winner will becrowned the "best bowler of the tournament."
  • Also in 1908, Bill Doehrman of Fort Wayne, Ind., bowled in thefirst of a record 71 consecutive tournaments.
  • In 1910, Tom Haley of Detroit rolled the first 700 series intournament history with a 705 in singles.
  • The first 300 game in tournament history was rolled by WilliamKnox of Philadelphia at the 1913 event in Toledo, Ohio.
  • Canadian Sam Schliman of Toronto became the first foreignchampion, winning the singles crown with a 685 series in 1916.
  • The Saunders team of Toronto, Ontario become the tournament'sfirst foreign team champion in 1921 with a score of 3,066.
  • The tournament passed the 1,000-team entry mark for the firsttime in 1922 with 1,126 teams entering the competition. Thetournament lasted a then-record 30 days.
  • Also in 1922, Herb Lange, a University of Wisconsin student,became the first bowler to roll nine games of 200 or better for awinning 1,943 all-events total.
  • Philadelphia's Billy Knox became the first bowler to break the2,000 mark in all-events with a record-setting 2,019 in 1923.
  • The tournament celebrated its 25th anniversary in 1925 with2,200 teams competing on 28 lanes.
  • The prize fund topped the $100,000 mark for the first time in1929, reaching $107,790.
  • In 1933, Milwaukee's Gil Zunker (750) and Frank Benkovic (665)became the first doubles pair to break the 1,400 mark with a 1,415winning total.
  • Also in 1933, Gil Zunker of Milwaukee became the first to rolltwo 700 series in one tournament with a 712 effort in singlescompetition.
  • Joe Norris' Stroh's Bohemian Beer team won the team event withonly three open frames in 1934.
  • Also in 1934, Milwaukee's Fred Weber shot 768 in the teamevent, a record that stood for 43 years.
  • In 1936, the first Hawaiian team traveled 4,400 miles to join arecord 2,853 teams entered in Indianapolis.
  • In 1938, Chicago's Birk Bros. team, which also won in 1917,became the first team sponsor to win two titles.
  • Also in 1938, a record 4,957 teams competed on the tournament'sfirst 40-lane installation.
  • In 1940, the tournament topped the 6,000-team entry mark andthe prize fund broke the $200,000 barrier for the first timereaching $240,827.
  • Also in 1940, Monarch Beer teammates Matt Faetz Jr. and brotherLeo Faetz join father Matt Sr. (1915 team) as the first of sixfather/son combination to win tournament titles.
  • The tournament headed west for the first time in 1947, visitingLos Angeles.
  • Also in 1947, Team All-Events was introduced. Despite the factit offered no cash prize, it would eventually become one oftournament's most prized titles.
  • Electronic foul lights were used for the first time in 1949 inAtlantic City, replacing human foul judges.
  • Also in 1949, Detroit's Fred Bujack and the E&B Beer teamwon the Team All-Events title, the first of eight titles he wouldwin as an E&B and Pfeiffer Beer team member.
  • In 1950, the Indiana State Fair Board refused to honor itscommitment to ABC to make the Coliseum available, the first andonly time a host city failed to fulfill its obligations to ABC. Thetournament was moved to Columbus, Ohio.
  • After ABC delegates dropped the "Caucasian only" clause fromthe membership eligibility rule at the 1950 Convention, AllenSupermarket of Detroit became the first all-black team to competein the ABC Tournament in St. Paul, Minn in 1951.
  • Also in 1951, Dean Larsen of St. Paul was selected as thetournament's first "Joe Bowler," representing all tournamentplayers to follow. The tradition of randomly selecting a bowler onthe opening squad to roll the ceremonial first ball while dressedin crown and cape has endured ever since.
  • In 1953, the tournament topped 8,000 teams for the first time.The record stood for 31 years. The prize fund topped $500,000 forthe first time.
  • In 1954, the first center aisle was constructed for the 32-laneinstallation in Seattle.
  • In 1956, Bill Lillard of Houston, became the first bowler towin four titles in one tournament, winning team, doubles,all-events and Team All-Events. Lillard, Ed Lubanski of Detroit(1958) and Mike Neuman of Buffalo (1990) now share the record fortitles in one tournament.
  • Scores posted by Mike Neuman of Buffalo, N.Y., on the first twodays of the 1990 tournament in Reno held up for 123 days as he wonteam, Team All-Events, doubles and all-events titles.
  • In Fort Worth, Texas in 1957, Dick Hoover of Akron, Ohio,defended his title to become the first two-time Masterschampion.
  • Also in 1957, underground ball returns and automatic pinsetterswere used for the first time.
  • In 1959, the Association of College Unions-International (ACUI)conducted its first championships on the tournament lanes.
  • In 1960, participation plaques were awarded for the first timeto bowlers who competed in 30 ABC Tournaments, and every five yearsthereafter.
  • In 1961, the Classic Division was introduced to separate theprofessional and non-professional entrants, only to be eliminatedin 1979 due to lack of entries.
  • Also in 1961, Bud Horn of Los Angeles recorded the first 300 inMasters competition.
  • In 1962, Philadelphia's Jack Winters rolled a record-shattering30 strikes for a 792 series in doubles on his way to a victory inthe Classic All-Events title with a 2,147 total. Glenn Allisonmatched Winters' 30-strike total as he and partner Dick Hoover wonClassic Doubles.
  • In 1965, Tom Hennessey of St. Louis earned a record $4,000 asClassic All-Events champ with a 2,549 total for 12 games.
  • In 1966, Les Schissler became the first bowler to roll a 300game in Classic Team play. Schissler also rolled a Classic Singlesrecord 760, while Ace Mitchell Shur-Hooks set the Classic Teamseries record with 3,357.
  • Also in 1966, Norm Meyers of St. Louis bowled a record fifthconsecutive 1,900-plus in all-events.
  • Pinkys Bowl of Milwaukee won the 1967 team title with a RegularDivision record 3,327.
  • In 1970, the Classic Division changed to a team qualifying andsix-team roll-off format. The Merchant Enterprises team of New York(Ernie Schlegel and lefties Johnny Petraglia, Larry Lichstein,Butch Gearhart and Mike McGrath) won the title.
  • Also in 1970, Bill Doehrman of Fort Wayne, Ind., bowled in his60th consecutive ABC Tournament.
  • In 1974, Detroit's Ray Williams became the first non-pro toroll a 300 in team play.
  • Also in 1974, Jim Godman became the first to record three 700'sin one year, winning Classic All-Events with a record 2,184.
  • In 1975, following his previous nine straight 200-plus games in1974, Bill Hohensee of Buffalo started with eight more for aTournament record 17 consecutive games of 200 or higher. Bob Goikeof Belleville, Mich., now holds the tournament record for mostconsecutive 200 games with 27.
  • The prize fund topped the million dollar mark for the firsttime in Reno in 1977, reaching $1,045,065.
  • Also in Walt and Rob Roy of Glenwood Springs, Colo., became thefirst father-son combination to win doubles, while Lou Veit ofMilwaukee became the first bowler to roll an 800 series intournament history, rolling an 804 in team.
  • In 1978, Jim Godman rolled a record-tying 11th straight 1,800plus all-events total.
  • Computer scoring was used for the first time in 1979 in Tampa,Fla.
  • Nelson Burton Jr. of St. Louis won Classic Doubles and ClassicAll-Events in 1979, the division's final year, setting a recordwith nine career tournament titles. Burton Jr. and his brotherBurton hold the record for most championships won by brothers with11.
  • Randy Lightfoot of St. Louis won the first televised Masters,which aired on CBS-TV in 1981.
  • The 1982 ABC Tournament in Baltimore was the first to last 100days.
  • School teacher and part-time pro Mike Lastowski of Baltimoreupset Earl Anthony and 19-year-old Pete Weber to win the 1983Masters.
  • In 1984, team entries broke a 31-year old record with 8,380entering the competition.
  • The tournament broke the 10,000 team mark for the first time inLas Vegas in 1986, while the prize fund topped $2 million for thefirst time.
  • In 1989, a deluge of honor scores was shot: a then record 44perfect games, 18 299s and 10 298s. The previous record for 300games was four (1974 and 1986).
  • In 1991, Jimmy Johnson of Columbus, Ohio, and Dan Nadeau of LasVegas topped the 1,500 mark in doubles, winning with 1,505.
  • Joe Norris broke Bill Doehrman's tournament career pinfallrecord of 109,398 in Corpus Christi, Texas, in 1992. Norrisimproved his record to 123,770 in his final tournament inAlbuquerque in 2000.
  • In 1994, Tony Lindemann of Detroit became the oldest person, atage 74, to roll a tournament 300. He rolled the perfect game indoubles.
  • Also in 1994, the ABC opened its membership to women andseveral of them used the opportunity to become the first of theirgender to compete in the tournament in Mobile, Ala. RayettaDominquez of Grove, Okla., helped Canterbury Lanes 1 win theBooster Team title and became the tournament's first womanchampion.
  • In 1995, ABC christened Reno's 78-lane, $53 million NationalBowling Stadium, the first public facility ever constructedstrictly for bowling. All ABC participation records were shatteredas 92,432 individuals and 17,285 teams competed in celebration ofthe 100th anniversary of the founding of the ABC.
  • In 1998 in Reno, Mike Aulby of Indianapolis became the firstand only three-time USBC Masters champion.
  • In 1999, the Classified Division expanded upon the old BoosterTeam concept, allowing those who average 180 and under to competein their own doubles, singles and all-events categories.
  • Also in 1999, Hall of Famer Dick Weber of St. Louis became thefifth member of the 100,000 Pinfall Club.
  • In 2000, Hall of Famer Joe Norris of San Diego tied BillDoehrman's participation record of 71 ABC Tournaments.
  • The 2001 event in Reno was the first to use the Twistersynthetic pin made by Artemis Rubber Technologies of Hanover,Germany. Kristine Kropf of Antioch, Calif., became the first womanto bowl a 300 in tournament competition.
  • In 2002, the tournament in Billings, Mont., saw a record 64perfect games and 29 299 games bowled. Kyle McCrackin of Wichita,Kan., became the first bowler to roll two 300 games in oneyear.
  • In 2003 at the 100th ABC Tournament in Knoxville, Tenn., RonBahr of Topeka, Kan., became the first person in tournament historyto bowl back-to-back 300 games, shooting 237-300-300 to win thesingles competition.
  • Also in 2003, Derek Sapp or Keokuk, Iowa, and Sean Rash orAnchorage, Alaska, broke the Regular Doubles record with a 1,540score. Sapp also shot the then-highest tournament series innon-Masters play with an 857.
  • In Reno in 2004, John Janawicz of Winter Haven, Fla., shot 858to win Regular Singles. It is the highest individual series intournament history (excluding the Masters) and also helped Janawiczto the Regular All-Events title.
  • The 2005 ABC Tournament in Baton Rouge, La., was the largestever held outside of the National Bowling Stadium in Reno and thefifth largest overall with 13,222 teams.
  • Formerly the ABC Tournament, the event unveiled its new name,the USBC Open Championships, for the 2006 event as the result ofthe merger of ABC, WIBC and YABA into the USBC on Jan. 1,2005.
  • At the 2006 event in Corpus Christi, Texas, Wendy Macpherson ofHenderson, Nev., became the first woman to win a Regular Divisiontitle when she shot 812 on the second-to-last day of the tournamentto win Regular Singles.
  • Also in 2006, Kristal Scott of Wichita, Kan., became the firstwoman ever to roll an 800 series at the Open Championships when sheposted an 816 during her team event.
  • The 2007 Open Championships in Reno marks the 104th running ofthe event, and the record eighth time Reno has hosted the event,breaking a tie with Buffalo, N.Y., and Toledo, Ohio.
  • In 2007, the tournament prize fund will reach $7 million forthe first time.
  • If you put all the lanes used since the first tournament end toend, the distance would stretch more than 50 miles.
  • The Open Championships has been held in 48 different cities in26 states.
  • The state of Ohio has hosted the Open Championships 17 times -the most of any state.
  • More than $90 million in total Open Championships prize moneyhas been awarded.
  • More than 2 million singles entries have competed in thehistory of the Tournament.
  • ABC's oldest member at the time, 103-year-old Art Shaver, andAtlanta friend William Hargove, 100, are the tournament's oldestdoubles team at the combined age of 203 years.

 

Past Champions | Records | Tournament Facts | Host Cities