Chris Keane

Veteran PBA50 Tour player Chris Keane of Cape Coral, Florida, has been selected as the Dick Weber Sportsmanship Award winner for the 2014 PBA50 Tour season in voting by his fellow competitors.

Keane, 56, has been competing on the PBA50 Tour for four seasons. He has a career-high finish of 12th which came in the 2012 PBA50 Northern California Classic and had three top-20 finishes in 2014, including a season-best 14th, which also came in the Northern California Classic.

“I’m very honored and proud that my fellow bowlers would think of me that way,” said Keane. “You can’t help but enjoy yourself and have fun (on the PBA50 Tour), so I guess that attitude was reflected to the other bowlers.”

Keane seized the opportunity to bowl full-time on the PBA50 Tour after selling his car wash and auto repair business several years ago.

“I was a serious league and tournament bowler and it became something of a goal and challenge to see if I could bowl against some of the greats of the game,” he said. “I consider myself very fortunate to be able to spend so much time doing something that is this much fun. I just enjoy the whole experience.”

Also nominated for the award were Bill McCorkle, Patrick King, Sammy Ventura, Parker Bohn III, and Amleto Monacelli.

Other 2014 PBA50 Tour award winners were Norm Duke, who earned PBA50 Tour Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year honors and Johnny Petraglia who earned PBA60 Player of the Year. Player of the Year awards were based on competition points. Recipients will receive their awards during a presentation at the 2015 PBA Senior U.S. Open next June in Las Vegas.

The Dick Weber Sportsmanship Award is named in honor of the PBA legend who won 30 PBA Tour and six PBA50 Tour titles during his Hall of Fame career, and was considered one of the sport’s greatest ambassadors.