USBC Hall of Famer Scudder celebrates 50 years at Open Championships
June 14, 2025
BATON ROUGE, La. – Cincinnati’s Don Scudder Jr. made his 50th consecutive appearance at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships on Sunday, adding another impressive milestone to his exemplary record at the tournament.
Scudder – a USBC Hall of Famer (Superior Performance in 1999) and three-time Eagle winner at the Open Championships – was celebrated for his dedication to the event and presented with a plaque, chevron and diamond lapel pin at the Raising Cane’s River Center.
He made his tournament debut at the 1975 event in Dayton, Ohio, and the talented right-hander collected his first win during the event’s trip to Baltimore in 1982.
Competing alongside USBC Hall of Famer Steve Fehr, Dave Callery, Greg Nesbit and Terry Saccone, Scudder helped Carl’s Bowlers Paddock secure the Regular Team title with games of 1,107, 1,096 and 1,065 for a 3,268 total – on the last team squad of the year.
“We won it on the last day of the tournament on the last shift, but I didn’t know it at the time,” Scudder said. “I chopped a 2-5 or something early in the first game, and after we had finished, I was telling Steve I sure hope we have enough. He’s looking at me and says, ‘What are you talking about? This was the last team event.’ We had won it, and by the time we got out of there after the interview it was almost quarter to 5. The shift didn’t start until probably 20 minutes after midnight.
“We bowled with a good companion team – (USBC Hall of Famer and two-time Eagle winner) Johnny Guenther’s team out of Seattle. That year, we didn’t bring 10 guys. We just had our five and were put with those guys, which was a blessing.”
Scudder earned titles No. 2 and 3 during a historic showing at the 1996 Open Championships in Salt Lake City.
He put up the top score in Regular Singles with games of 244, 300 and 279 for an 823 series, and his overall effort for the year (2,097 for all-events) helped Pollard’s Bowl put up a then-record score of 10,425 for Team All-Events.
Scudder’s teammates in the performance included Ron Pollard (2,107), Rick Pollard (2,104), Bill Spigner (2,068) and Jerry Kessler (2,049). Ron Pollard, Rick Pollard and Spigner also have joined Scudder in the USBC Hall of Fame.
The team’s record stood until 2022, when the members of New York’s Mento Produce topped the score with 10,444 on the way to a third-place finish in Las Vegas.
Scudder appreciates his spot in the tournament’s long history, and he knows just how difficult it is to win on one of the sport’s biggest stages.
“I thought about that many times,” said Scudder, who won the 1996 International Eliminator in Las Vegas for the $100,000 top prize. “I could lose a hit here or there – just one or two hits – and I may have not been there in the national hall of fame. It’s pretty amazing.”
He credits the company he’s kept on the championship lanes over the years to helping him along the way, too, noting the opportunity to bowl doubles with the likes of Fehr, Spigner, USBC Hall of Famer Bob Hart and seven-time PBA50 Tour champion John Hricsina at the Open Championships.
“I surrounded myself with good people,” Scudder said. “I’m not a solo act – it was because of the people that surrounded me by the grace of God. There was a core group of us – maybe 30 during the 50 years. I’ve bowled with the Pollards since 1993, and I bowled with Fehr and them prior to that.”
Scudder had some competitors from both eras join him on the lanes for his 50th appearance, too. Ron Pollard and Saccone bowled on the same team with Scudder in 2025, while Rick Pollard also was in town and competed on the late squad Sunday.
He's enjoyed learning about the history of the event, which includes getting to meet USBC Hall of Famer Joe Norris and sharing a spot in the 50-Year Club with his mentor – Erv Hoinke Jr. of Cincinnati.
With his appearance in Baton Rouge, Scudder became the 380th bowler to reach 50 years of participation at the Open Championships.
“When Erv Hoinke reached 50 years, that’s when I had exactly 25 years,” Scudder said. “That’s when I started to think about 50, because I knew how happy he was getting there.”
Scudder closed his 50th appearance with his 28th all-events total of 1,800 or higher at the Open Championships (200-plus average for nine games) – 1,826. His career pinfall now sits at 91,144 for an overall average of 202.5.
The 73-year-old still holds a passion for the sport, and he’s enjoyed the journey along the way.
“I did it because I had fun to begin with, and it was something I loved,” Scudder said. “I joked with (two-time PBA Tour champion) Kent Wagner the other day – when we were young, we were the poster child. The baby boomers that fell into the game and loved it and continued to compete throughout our lives. Something that came off the top of my head.”
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.
Scudder – a USBC Hall of Famer (Superior Performance in 1999) and three-time Eagle winner at the Open Championships – was celebrated for his dedication to the event and presented with a plaque, chevron and diamond lapel pin at the Raising Cane’s River Center.
He made his tournament debut at the 1975 event in Dayton, Ohio, and the talented right-hander collected his first win during the event’s trip to Baltimore in 1982.Competing alongside USBC Hall of Famer Steve Fehr, Dave Callery, Greg Nesbit and Terry Saccone, Scudder helped Carl’s Bowlers Paddock secure the Regular Team title with games of 1,107, 1,096 and 1,065 for a 3,268 total – on the last team squad of the year.
“We won it on the last day of the tournament on the last shift, but I didn’t know it at the time,” Scudder said. “I chopped a 2-5 or something early in the first game, and after we had finished, I was telling Steve I sure hope we have enough. He’s looking at me and says, ‘What are you talking about? This was the last team event.’ We had won it, and by the time we got out of there after the interview it was almost quarter to 5. The shift didn’t start until probably 20 minutes after midnight.
“We bowled with a good companion team – (USBC Hall of Famer and two-time Eagle winner) Johnny Guenther’s team out of Seattle. That year, we didn’t bring 10 guys. We just had our five and were put with those guys, which was a blessing.”
Scudder earned titles No. 2 and 3 during a historic showing at the 1996 Open Championships in Salt Lake City.He put up the top score in Regular Singles with games of 244, 300 and 279 for an 823 series, and his overall effort for the year (2,097 for all-events) helped Pollard’s Bowl put up a then-record score of 10,425 for Team All-Events.
Scudder’s teammates in the performance included Ron Pollard (2,107), Rick Pollard (2,104), Bill Spigner (2,068) and Jerry Kessler (2,049). Ron Pollard, Rick Pollard and Spigner also have joined Scudder in the USBC Hall of Fame.
The team’s record stood until 2022, when the members of New York’s Mento Produce topped the score with 10,444 on the way to a third-place finish in Las Vegas.
Scudder appreciates his spot in the tournament’s long history, and he knows just how difficult it is to win on one of the sport’s biggest stages.
“I thought about that many times,” said Scudder, who won the 1996 International Eliminator in Las Vegas for the $100,000 top prize. “I could lose a hit here or there – just one or two hits – and I may have not been there in the national hall of fame. It’s pretty amazing.”
He credits the company he’s kept on the championship lanes over the years to helping him along the way, too, noting the opportunity to bowl doubles with the likes of Fehr, Spigner, USBC Hall of Famer Bob Hart and seven-time PBA50 Tour champion John Hricsina at the Open Championships.
“I surrounded myself with good people,” Scudder said. “I’m not a solo act – it was because of the people that surrounded me by the grace of God. There was a core group of us – maybe 30 during the 50 years. I’ve bowled with the Pollards since 1993, and I bowled with Fehr and them prior to that.”
Scudder had some competitors from both eras join him on the lanes for his 50th appearance, too. Ron Pollard and Saccone bowled on the same team with Scudder in 2025, while Rick Pollard also was in town and competed on the late squad Sunday.
He's enjoyed learning about the history of the event, which includes getting to meet USBC Hall of Famer Joe Norris and sharing a spot in the 50-Year Club with his mentor – Erv Hoinke Jr. of Cincinnati.
With his appearance in Baton Rouge, Scudder became the 380th bowler to reach 50 years of participation at the Open Championships.
“When Erv Hoinke reached 50 years, that’s when I had exactly 25 years,” Scudder said. “That’s when I started to think about 50, because I knew how happy he was getting there.”
Scudder closed his 50th appearance with his 28th all-events total of 1,800 or higher at the Open Championships (200-plus average for nine games) – 1,826. His career pinfall now sits at 91,144 for an overall average of 202.5.
The 73-year-old still holds a passion for the sport, and he’s enjoyed the journey along the way.
“I did it because I had fun to begin with, and it was something I loved,” Scudder said. “I joked with (two-time PBA Tour champion) Kent Wagner the other day – when we were young, we were the poster child. The baby boomers that fell into the game and loved it and continued to compete throughout our lives. Something that came off the top of my head.”
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.