Jim Zebehazy

Meritorious Service

Jim Zebehazy
City: Leesburg
State: FL
Inducted: 2020

Zebehazy was instrumental in promoting and developing youth bowling and helped lay the groundwork for the Junior Gold Championships.

He started his career in the bowling industry in 1971 as a pinsetter mechanic and pro shop rep at Airport Bowling Center in Buffalo, New York, and later joined the Buffalo Bowling Association board.

In 1983, he became a field representative for the American Bowling Congress, visiting more than 1,500 associations in the Northeast and teaching Certified Lane Inspection Workshops. He took over as ABC's Group Executive for Field Service in 1989.

In 1998, he was named Executive Director of the Young American Bowling Alliance, overseeing staff, programs and services, and strategic planning. During his tenure, he implemented David Dahm's concept of the Junior Gold program, provided the vision for the USBC Youth Open Championships and initiated the Gift For Life Scholarship program.

He was directly responsible for the creation of the Registered Volunteer Program, one of the first safety programs put into place in the world of youth sports, and was a key person in improving and advancing the SMART program.

His role in YABA ended with the merger of the sport's major organizations to form USBC in 2005. He supported the merger and played an integral role in helping to push the initiative to completion. The YABA board created the Annual Zeb Scholarship in 2005 in recognition of his dedication to the organization. He joined USBC in 2005 as a field representative, a position he held until his retirement in 2015.

In 2010, Zebehazy received the Kerm Helmer Horizon Award, given to leaders in the youth bowling community who have displayed the courage, determination and ability to develop far-reaching programs of national scope that provide fun and exciting opportunities.