Joe Norris

Superior Performance

Joe Norris
City: San Diego
State: CA
Inducted: 1954

Norris, still an active bowler at 92, became the third person in USBC Open Championships history to knock down 100,000 pins on March 12, 1986. He set the record for all-time pinfall on March 10, 1992 and 123,770 pins in his final appearance in 2000. Norris averaged 193 for 71 Open Championships events, tied for the most years of participation in tournament history. On Dec. 14, 1994, he became the oldest person with a 300 game at age 86, a record that stood for more than four years. Norris, who had become well-known through his bowling feats in Detroit, started on the road to superstardom when he organized the Strohs Beer team in 1933. Under his captaincy, the Strohs won the 1934 Open Championships team title and also won the National Match Game championship five times between 1934 and 1945. He also competed in the international exhibition before the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany.