This is a recap of the 1971 season for the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour. It was the tour's 13th season, and consisted of 32 events. This marked the first season that the BPAA U.S. Open (formerly BPAA All-Star) was recognized as part of the PBA Tour. The event was won by Mike Limongello. Limongello posted a second major tournament win in 1971 when he captured the PBA National Championship.

PBA Bowling Tour: 1971 Season
LeagueProfessional Bowlers Association
SportTen-pin bowling
DurationJanuary 3 – December 13, 1971
PBA Tour
Season MVPDon Johnson
PBA Tour seasons

Don Johnson had six titles on the 1971 Tour and won the PBA Player of the Year award, which was awarded by a player vote for the first time. Johnny Petraglia nearly matched Johnson with five titles, including a run of three in a row that concluded with a victory in the Firestone Tournament of Champions.

Tournament schedule

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Event Bowling center City Dates Winner
BPAA U.S. Open Drkula's 32 Bowl St. Paul, Minnesota Jan 3–9 Mike Limongello (5)
Denver Open Colorado Bowl Denver, Colorado Jan 12–18 Dick Weber (21)
Showboat Invitational Showboat Lanes Las Vegas, Nevada Jan 19–23 Don Johnson (12)
Greater Los Angeles Open Bowling Square Arcadia, California Jan 26–30 Dave Soutar (11)
Ebonite Open Saratoga Lanes San Jose, California Feb 2–6 Larry Lichstein (1)
Andy Granatelli's STP Classic King Louie West Kansas City, Missouri Feb 9–13 Johnny Guenther (5)
Winston-Salem Classic Major League Lanes Winston-Salem, North Carolina Feb 16–20 Johnny Petraglia (3)
Miller High Life Open Red Carpet Lanes Milwaukee, Wisconsin Feb 23–27 Dave Soutar (12)
Buckeye Open Imperial Lanes Toledo, Ohio Mar 2–6 Dick Weber (22)
Cougar Open Madison Square Garden New York, New York Mar 9–13 Earl Anthony (2)
Fair Lanes Open Fair Lanes Springfield, Virginia Mar 18–20 Johnny Petraglia (4)
Don Carter Classic Pelican Lanes New Orleans, Louisiana Mar 23–27 Johnny Petraglia (5)
Firestone Tournament of Champions Riviera Lanes Akron, Ohio Mar 27 – Apr 1 Johnny Petraglia (6)
Bellows-Valvair Open Brunswick Wonderbowl Anaheim, California Jun 4–7 Gary Madison (1)
Fresno Open Cedar Lanes Fresno, California Jun 11–14 Ed Bourdase (2)
Seattle Open Ballinger Bowl Seattle, Washington Jun 18–21 Don Johnson (13)
Portland Open Valley Lanes Portland, Oregon Jun 24–27 Don Helling (3)
Winston-Salem Open Mel's Bowl Redwood City, California Jul 2–5 Don Johnson (14)
Tucson Open Cactus Bowl Tucson, Arizona Jul 5–12 Jim Godman (6)
El Paso Open Freeway Lanes El Paso, Texas Jul 16–19 J. B. Blaylock (1)
Houston-Sertoma Open Stadium Bowl Houston, Texas Jul 23–26 Johnny Petraglia (7)
Grand Rapids Open Westgate Bowl Grand Rapids, Michigan Aug 13–16 Tommy Tuttle (3)
Waukegan Open Bertrand Lanes Waukegan, Illinois Aug 19–22 Don Johnson (15)
South Bend Open Chippewa Bowl South Bend, Indiana Aug 27–30 Barry Asher (3)
Winston-Salem Open Cranston Bowl Cranston, Rhode Island Sep 3–6 Roy Buckley (1)
12th Annual PBA National Championship Paramus Bowl Paramus, New Jersey Oct 9–16 Mike Limongello (6)
Lincoln Open Hollywood Bowl Lincoln, Nebraska Oct 22–25 Larry Laub (2)
850,000 American Airlines Open Ellisville Bowl Ellisville, Missouri Oct 29 – Nov 1 Barry Asher (4)
Mercury Open Henrietta Lanes Rochester, New York Nov 5–8 Johnny Guenther (6)
Bellows-Valvair Open Hartfield Lanes Detroit, Michigan Nov 12–15 Don Johnson (16)
Brunswick World Open Northern Bowl Glendale Heights, Illinois Nov 21–27 Don Johnson (17)
Hawaiian Invitational Honolulu Bowl Honolulu, Hawaii Dec 3–13 Dick Weber (23)
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