Illinois bowler makes 50th appearance at USBC Open Championships
June 15, 2025
BATON ROUGE, La. – R. Kenneth Wiggins of Pekin, Illinois, joined the 50-Year Club at the 2025 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships on Wednesday, completing a journey that started with his first appearance in 1965 in St. Paul, Minnesota.
The 86-year-old was presented with a plaque, chevron and diamond lapel pin at the Raising Cane’s River Center to celebrate his milestone, and he was led out to his on-lane ceremony by his daughter, Pamela.
During his 50 years of bowling at the tournament, Wiggins has held an average of 171.6 and has knocked down 75,171 pins. Even though he did not have 50 consecutive years, he has been to the tournament for the last 40 years, making his annual appearance each year since 1985.
Thinking back to some of his favorite memories from the tournament, he mentioned two that stand out the most.
“In 1969, I was able to bowl with my father,” Wiggins said. “Then, he came down with Lou Gehrig’s disease a year later and was not able to bowl again.”
It was a special moment for Wiggins to be able to bowl the Open Championships once with his father, and his trip to Tampa, Florida, in 1979 was one of his favorites because the weather was great and he was able to spend time with his family.
“When my daughter and son were teenagers, we took them down to Tampa with us when it was being held there,” Wiggins said. “It was a beautiful trip. We spent a week in Clearwater and then went over and bowled in Tampa.”
To go along with the great memories, he’s been able to see a lot of different cities and has some favorite places, too. Wiggins said some of his favorites consisted of Salt Lake City, Billings, Baton Rouge and his personal favorite – Albuquerque.
“We had friends out there (in Albuquerque) and took the tram up the hill and went to the restaurant (at Sandia Peak),” Wiggins said. “We never stick around after bowling. We just make it a vacation and make sure we are always doing something new.”
Since he started his journey with the tournament 60 years ago, he has been able to reflect on so many things.
“This is a big milestone for me,” Wiggins said. “I have had plenty of 300s and 800s, but I always look forward to coming to the tournament every year.”
Back home in Illinois, Wiggins stays busy. He bowls league two times a week and plays golf about three times a week. His next goal is to get to 55 years at the tournament.
The Open Championships is celebrating its third trip to Baton Rouge in 2025 and scheduled to feature more than 58,000 bowlers and 11,600 five-player teams competing across 150 consecutive days at the River Center.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open Championships page.
The 86-year-old was presented with a plaque, chevron and diamond lapel pin at the Raising Cane’s River Center to celebrate his milestone, and he was led out to his on-lane ceremony by his daughter, Pamela.
During his 50 years of bowling at the tournament, Wiggins has held an average of 171.6 and has knocked down 75,171 pins. Even though he did not have 50 consecutive years, he has been to the tournament for the last 40 years, making his annual appearance each year since 1985.
Thinking back to some of his favorite memories from the tournament, he mentioned two that stand out the most.
“In 1969, I was able to bowl with my father,” Wiggins said. “Then, he came down with Lou Gehrig’s disease a year later and was not able to bowl again.”
It was a special moment for Wiggins to be able to bowl the Open Championships once with his father, and his trip to Tampa, Florida, in 1979 was one of his favorites because the weather was great and he was able to spend time with his family.
“When my daughter and son were teenagers, we took them down to Tampa with us when it was being held there,” Wiggins said. “It was a beautiful trip. We spent a week in Clearwater and then went over and bowled in Tampa.”
To go along with the great memories, he’s been able to see a lot of different cities and has some favorite places, too. Wiggins said some of his favorites consisted of Salt Lake City, Billings, Baton Rouge and his personal favorite – Albuquerque.
“We had friends out there (in Albuquerque) and took the tram up the hill and went to the restaurant (at Sandia Peak),” Wiggins said. “We never stick around after bowling. We just make it a vacation and make sure we are always doing something new.”
Since he started his journey with the tournament 60 years ago, he has been able to reflect on so many things.
“This is a big milestone for me,” Wiggins said. “I have had plenty of 300s and 800s, but I always look forward to coming to the tournament every year.”
Back home in Illinois, Wiggins stays busy. He bowls league two times a week and plays golf about three times a week. His next goal is to get to 55 years at the tournament.
The Open Championships is celebrating its third trip to Baton Rouge in 2025 and scheduled to feature more than 58,000 bowlers and 11,600 five-player teams competing across 150 consecutive days at the River Center.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open Championships page.