Earl Roderick Anthony (April 27, 1938 - August 14, 2001) was a left-handed American professional bowler. He amassed a total of 41 titles on the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour, a record that was broken by Walter Ray Williams on September 24, 2006. His 10 Professional Major titles (6 PBA National Championships, 2 Firestone Tournament of Champions, and 2 ABC Masters Champions) are the most by any bowler. Anthony also won seven PBA Senior Tour titles for 48 total PBA Tour titles. April 27 is the 117th day of the year (118th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 248 days remaining. ... Year 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... is the 226th day of the year (227th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... Tenpin is also the name of a chain of ten-pin bowling complexes in the United Kingdom. ... Professional Bowlers Association is the major sanctioning body for the sport of professional ten-pin bowling in the United States and worldwide. ... Walter Ray Williams Jr. ...

Never brash or flashy in a crew-cut and glasses, Anthony was dubbed "Square Earl" by fellow pro bowlers. He was also known by the nickname "The Machine," because of his robot-like consistency and accuracy.

PBA Career

Anthony was a six-time PBA Player of the year. The late bowling legend Dick Weber said Anthony had the greatest speed control of any bowler to ever play the game.^[1] He was the first bowler in history to earn over $100,000 in a single season and the first to eclipse $1 million in career earnings. Dick Weber (December 23, 1929 - February 14, 2005) was a famous bowling professional and a founding member of the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA). ...

Earl Anthony's final PBA title was a major -- the 1983 Toledo Trust PBA National Championship. In fact, he twice achieved an improbable "three-peat" in the PBA National Championship: 1973-75 and 1981-83.

After a nine month layoff he came out of retirement and won the 1984 ABC Masters, which at the time was not part of the regular PBA tour.

After retiring he spent many years in the broadcast booth as a color commentator for ESPN and NBC Sports.

In 1981 he was voted into the PBA Hall of Fame. In 1986 he was voted into the ABC Hall of Fame. In 2000 he was voted "Bowler of the 20th Century" by a broad margin over his peers in a nationwide vote.

Personal

Earl was born in Tacoma, Washington. He was a minor league baseball pitcher before his days as a professional bowler. He was also an incredible golfer, achieving a near-scratch handicap at the age of 60. He once set the course record at Crow Canyon Country Club (Danville, CA) with a scratch score of 64. Nickname: Location of Tacoma in Pierce County and Washington State Coordinates: , Country United States of America State Washington County Pierce Government  - Mayor Bill Baarsma (D) Area  - City 62. ...

The Earl Anthony Memorial Scholarship Fund was established through funding by the ABC Championship Tournament (now USBC), in order to provide scholarships to young bowlers. It is administrated by the Young American Bowling Alliance. The Young American Bowlers Alliance (YABA) was an amateur sanctioning organization for American bowlers under the age of 18. ...

Earl Anthony died in 2001, succumbing to head injuries suffered after falling down a flight of stairs.

Awards and Recognition

• Six-time PBA Player of the Year winner (1974-76 and 1981-83)
• Five-time George Young High Average award winner (1973-75, 1980, 1983)
• Tied with Walter Ray Williams, Jr. for most consecutive PBA seasons winning at least one tournament (14)
• Holds PBA record of 15 televised finals appearances in one season (1975, 1981)
• Tied for the PBA record with 8 major tournament titles
• Inducted into PBA Hall of Fame, 1981
• Inducted into ABC (now USBC) Hall of Fame, 1986

References

1. ^ Earl Anthony biography at sports.jrank.org

Sources

PBA.com, official site of the Professional Bowlers Association