This is a recap of the 1970 season for the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour. It was the tour's 12th season, and consisted of 35 events. Dave Soutar had the most titles on the 1970 Tour (5), but it was Nelson Burton, Jr., winner of four titles and the George Young High Average award, who claimed the Sporting News PBA Player of the Year award.[1]
| PBA Bowling Tour: 1970 Season | |
|---|---|
| League | Professional Bowlers Association |
| Sport | Ten-pin bowling |
| Duration | January 6 – December 14, 1970 |
| PBA Tour | |
| Season MVP | Nelson Burton, Jr. |
Mike McGrath successfully defended his 1969 title at the PBA National Championship.[2] Don Johnson nearly made history in winning the Firestone Tournament of Champions, firing a 299 game in the finale to upend Dick Ritger, 299-268.[3]
Dick Weber won the season-ending Hawaiian Invitational to become the first player to reach 20 career PBA Tour titles.[4] This season also saw the debut of PBA legend Earl Anthony, a 31-year old rookie. Anthony would win the first of his 43 titles on June 7 at the Heidelberg Open.
Tournament schedule edit
| Event | Bowling center | City | Dates | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wichita Centennial Open | Crestview Bowl | Wichita, Kansas | Jan 6–10 | Skee Foremsky (5) |
| Greater Los Angeles Open | Bowling Square | Arcadia, California | Jan 13–17 | Ed Bourdase (1) |
| Showboat Invitational | Showboat Lanes | Las Vegas, Nevada | Jan 20–24 | Dave Soutar (6) |
| San Jose Open | Saratoga Lanes | San Jose, California | Jan 27–31 | Dave Davis (12) |
| Denver Open | Colorado Bowl | Denver, Colorado | Feb 3–7 | Nelson Burton, Jr. (4) |
| Ebonite Open | King Louie West | Kansas City, Missouri | Feb 10–14 | Jim Stefanich (10) |
| Miller High Life Open | Bowlero Lanes | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Feb 17–21 | George Pappas (1) |
| Buckeye Open | Imperial Lanes | Toledo, Ohio | Feb 24–28 | Nelson Burton, Jr. (5) |
| Greater Buffalo Open | Fairlanes | Buffalo, New York | Mar 3–7 | George Pappas (2) |
| Don Carter Classic | Madison Square Garden Center | New York, New York | Mar 10–14 | Mike Limongello (4) |
| Cougar Open | Coliseum Lanes | Coral Gables, Florida | Mar 17–21 | Mike McGrath (4) |
| New Orleans Lions Open | Pelican Lanes | New Orleans, Louisiana | Mar 24–28 | Don Johnson (10) |
| Firestone Tournament of Champions | Riviera Lanes | Akron, Ohio | Mar 31 – Apr 4 | Don Johnson (11) |
| National Pro-Am Classic | East Point Triangle Lanes | Atlanta, Georgia | Apr 11–12 | Wayne Zahn (12) |
| Heidelberg Open | Ballinger Bowl | Seattle, Washington | Jun 4–7 | Earl Anthony (1) |
| Portland Open | Valley Lanes | Portland, Oregon | Jun 11–14 | Don Glover (5) |
| Bellows-Valvair Open | Mel's Bowl | Redwood City, California | Jun 18–21 | Mike Durbin (4) |
| Fresno Open | Cedar Lanes | Fresno, California | Jun 26–29 | Marty Piraino (3) |
| Tucson Centurion Open | Cactus Bowl | Tucson, Arizona | Jul 2–5 | Larry Laub (1) |
| El Paso Open | Freeway Lanes | El Paso, Texas | Jul 10–13 | Nelson Burton, Jr. (6) |
| Houston-Sertoma Open | Stadium Bowl | Houston, Texas | Jul 17–20 | Don McCune (2) |
| Fort Worth Open | Meadowbrook Lanes | Fort Worth, Texas | Jul 23–26 | Nelson Burton, Jr. (7) |
| Grand Rapids Open | Westgate Bowl | Grand Rapids, Michigan | Aug 14–17 | Dick Battista (1) |
| Waukegan Open | Bertrand Bowl | Waukegan, Illinois | Aug 20–23 | Dave Soutar (7) |
| Gansett Open | Cranston Bowl | Cranston, Rhode Island | Aug 28–31 | Jim Stefanich (11) |
| Bellows-Valvair Open | N. Versailles Lanes | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Sep 4–7 | Johnny Petraglia (2) |
| Blue Mountain Open | Blue Valley Lanes | Windgap, Pennsylvania | Sep 10–13 | Curt Schmidt (1) |
| Japan Gold Cup | Starlanes | Tokyo, Japan | Sep 24 – Oct 12 | Dick Ritger (9) |
| 11th Annual PBA National Championship | Garden City Bowl | Garden City, New York | Oct 17–24 | Mike McGrath (5) |
| Bellows-Valvair Open | Dick Weber Lanes | St. Louis, Missouri | Oct 30 – Nov 2 | Dave Soutar (8) |
| Lincoln Open | Hollywood Bowl | Lincoln, Nebraska | Nov 6–9 | Dave Soutar (9) |
| Mercury Open | Hilander Bowling Palace | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | Nov 13–16 | Bud Horn (2) |
| American Airlines Open | Hartfield Lanes | Detroit, Michigan | Nov 20–23 | Dave Soutar (10) |
| Bellows-Valvair Open | Maiden Lanes | Rochester, New York | Nov 27–30 | Teata Semiz (2) |
| Hawaiian Invitational | Honolulu Bowl | Honolulu, Hawaii | Dec 3–14 | Dick Weber (20) |
References edit
- ^ "Nelson Burton Jr. bio". imdb.com.
- ^ "Mike McGrath". mcubed.net.
- ^ "1970 Firestone Tournament of Champions". PBA.
- ^ "1970 3rd Annual Hawaiian Invitational". PBA.