PBA Bowling Tour: 1977 Season
This is a recap of the 1977 season for the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour. It was the tour's 19th season, and consisted of 36 events. Earl Anthony's string of three consecutive PBA Player of the Year awards was snapped by Mark Roth. Roth won four titles on the season and made numerous other top-five finishes to lead the Tour in earnings (over $105,000).
| PBA Bowling Tour: 1977 Season | |
|---|---|
| League | Professional Bowlers Association |
| Sport | Ten-pin bowling |
| Duration | January 4 – December 10, 1977 |
| PBA Tour | |
| Season MVP | Mark Roth |
Johnny Petraglia captured his second career major championship, winning the BPAA U.S. Open. Additional major titles for 1977 went to Mike Berlin (Firestone Tournament of Champions) and Tommy Hudson (Columbia PBA National Championship). Don Johnson collected his 26th career title, only to be caught and tied by Dick Weber the following week when Weber won his 26th. But both were now in Earl Anthony's rearview mirror, as the legendary lefthander earned his 27th and 28th titles during the season. For Johnson, his victory in Gretna, Louisiana in February gave him at least one title every season for the last 12 seasons – at the time, a PBA record.
Tournament schedule
| Event | Bowling center | City | Dates | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miller Lite Classic | Gable House Bowl | Torrance, California | Jan 4–8 | Earl Anthony (27) |
| Ford Open | Mel's Southshore Bowl | Alameda, California | Jan 11–15 | Steve Jones (1) |
| Showboat Invitational | Showboat Hotel Lanes | Las Vegas, Nevada | Jan 16–22 | Mark Roth (5) |
| Quaker State Open | Forum Bowl | Grand Prairie, Texas | Jan 25–29 | Henry Gonzalez (1) |
| Rolaids Open | Dick Weber Lanes | Florissant, Missouri | Feb 1–5 | Steve Neff (3) |
| Midas Open | Expressway Lanes | Gretna, Louisiana | Feb 8–12 | Don Johnson (26) |
| King Louie Open | King Louie West Lanes | Overland Park, Kansas | Feb 15–19 | Dick Weber (26) |
| Miller High Life Open | Red Carpet Celebrity Lanes | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Feb 22–26 | Ed Ressler (3) |
| Monro-Matic Open | Bradley Bowl | Windsor Locks, Connecticut | Mar 1–5 | Tommy Hudson (4) |
| AMF Pro Classic | Garden City Bowl | Garden City, New York | Mar 8–12 | Dick Ritger (18) |
| Muriel Cigar Open | Buckeye Lanes | North Olmsted, Ohio | Mar 15–19 | Roy Buckley (5) |
| BPAA U.S. Open | Brunswick Friendly Lanes | Greensboro, North Carolina | Mar 20–26 | Johnny Petraglia (10) |
| Burger King Open | Don Carter's Kendall Lanes | Miami, Florida | Mar 28 – Apr 3 | Teata Semiz (3) |
| Fair Lanes Open | Fair Lanes | Springfield, Virginia | Apr 6–9 | Tommy Hudson (5)[1] |
| Toledo Open | Imperial Lanes | Toledo, Ohio | Apr 12–16 | John Denton (1) |
| Firestone Tournament of Champions | Riviera Lanes | Akron, Ohio | Apr 18–23 | Mike Berlin (2) |
| Portland Open | Valley Lanes | Beaverton, Oregon | Jun 4–7 | Dennis Lane (1) |
| Columbia PBA National Championship | Leilani Lanes | Seattle, Washington | Jun 12–19 | Tommy Hudson (6) |
| PBA Doubles Classic | Saratoga Lanes | San Jose, California | Jun 24–27 | Mark Roth (6), Marshall Holman (4) |
| Fresno Open | Cedar Lanes | Fresno, California | Jul 1–4 | Mark Roth (7) |
| Southern California Open | Keystone Lanes | Norwalk, California | Jul 8–11 | Mark Roth (8) |
| Tucson Open | Golden Pin Lanes | Tucson, Arizona | Jul 15–18 | George Pappas (5) |
| Houston Open | Stadium Bowl | Houston, Texas | Jul 22–25 | Carmen Salvino (15) |
| Quad Cities Open | Plaza Bowl North | Davenport, Iowa | Jul 29 – Aug 1 | Mike Berlin (3) |
| Waukegan Open | Bertrand Lanes | Waukegan, Illinois | Aug 4–7 | Earl Anthony (28) |
| Buffalo Open | Thruway Lanes | Cheektowaga, New York | Aug 12–15 | Tom Wright (1) |
| Great Adventure Open | Curtis Suburban Lanes | Trenton, New Jersey | Aug 19–22 | Steve Westberg (1) |
| New England Open | Lang's Bowlarama | Cranston, Rhode Island | Aug 26–29 | Bill Spigner (1) |
| Sarasota Open | Galaxy Lanes | Sarasota, Florida | Sep 2–5 | Steve Westberg (2) |
| AMF Regional Champions Classic | Berks Lanes | Reading, Pennsylvania | Oct 14–17 | Dave Davis (16) |
| Buzz Fazio Open | Ken Nottke's Bowl | Battle Creek, Michigan | Oct 21–24 | Mike Berlin (4) |
| Northern Ohio Open | Westgate Lanes | Fairview Park, Ohio | Oct 28–31 | Joe Hutchinson (1) |
| Syracuse Open | Strike 'n Spare Lanes | Syracuse, New York | Nov 4–7 | Paul Moser (2) |
| Brunswick World Open | Brunswick Northern Bowl | Glendale Heights, Illinois | Nov 13–19 | Marshall Holman (5) |
| Hawaiian Invitational | (Multiple Centers) | Honolulu, Hawaii | Nov 25 – Dec 4 | Tommy Hudson (7) |
| AMF Grand Prix of Bowling | Thunderbowl | Allen Park, Michigan | Dec 6–10 | Jay Robinson (3) |
References
- "1977 Fair Lanes Open". PBA.