RENO, Nev. - When Glenn Allison of Anaheim, Calif., got his start in bowling, he immediately set his sights on becoming a hall of famer and quickly found success at multiple levels of competition.

More than six decades later, the USBC and Professional Bowlers Association Hall of Famer still is adding to his impressive resume and reached another milestone at the USBC Open Championships on Saturday.

The 80-year-old right-hander marched down Center Aisle at the National Bowling Stadium and into the record books as the 15th bowler in history to make 60 tournament appearances. His wife, Marsha, proudly looked on as he was presented with a plaque, chevron and gold money clip to commemorate the achievement.

"The last 60 years have been really wonderful," said Allison, who was joined on the lanes Saturday by fellow hall of famer Jimmy Schroeder of Tonawanda, N.Y., who also is a member of both the 60-Year and 100,000-Pin Clubs. "I have really enjoyed all the competition and all the friends I have made in this sport. It was a really exciting day."

In 59 previous tournaments, Allison collected four titles (Classic Doubles in 1962, Classic Team in 1964 and '66 and Classic Singles in 1970) and toppled 107,929 pins to become one of 13 members of the event's elite 100,000-Pin Club. His efforts helped him into the USBC Hall of Fame in 1979.

"Becoming a hall of famer was something I looked forward to from the time I was a teenager," said Allison, who made his tournament debut at the 1947 event in Los Angeles. "I am very fortunate to be in the USBC Hall of Fame. It's a wonderful honor, and I have enjoyed every minute of my career. It's been a lot of fun."

Allison's time on the lanes also has extended well beyond the Open Championships. He is a charter member of the PBA and notched five national titles before being enshrined in the PBA Hall of Fame in 1984.

Even with so many goals already accomplished, Allison still is thinking about future visits to the Open Championships.

"Well, I hope to just keep on living," Allison said. "I don't expect to break Bill Doehrman and Joe Norris' record of 71 appearances, but who knows. I may be fortunate enough to live that long. If that were to happen, I would also have a chance to become the career pinfall leader. I have really enjoyed everything and have had a wonderful time."

Allison finished his milestone appearance with 567 in singles, 541 in team and 472 in doubles for a 1,580 all-events total. In 60 tournaments, he has knocked down 109,509 pins for a career average of 198.

Schroeder closed out his 63rd consecutive visit to the tournament with a 1,565 all-events total and increased his career pinfall total to 112,478. He is third on the all-time pinfall list behind the late Norris (123,770) and active pinfall leader Bill Lillard Sr. of Houston (116,828), who will add to his total this week when he competes for the 64th straight year.

The Classic Division at the Open Championships was created in 1961 to separate the professional and non-professional entrants in the tournament. It was discontinued after 1979.

Click here to watch other video highlights from the 2011 Open Championships.
Presenting sponsors for the 2011 USBC Open Championships are Circus Circus, Eldorado Hotel Casino Reno and Silver Legacy Resort Casino Reno. Other sponsors include Sands Regency Casino Hotel, official brackets sponsor, Kegel, official lane maintenance provider, Humana, official registration sponsor, US Steltronic, official scoring system, and supporting sponsors Storm Bowling Products, UPS, Nationwide Insurance, Atlantis Casino Resort and Spa, Harrah's Reno Casino and Hotel and Peppermill Hotel Casino.