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Midwest report
February 14 , 2008

Jeff Crowley

Bobby Bellew: A PBA original

Bobby Bellew bowled for the first time at the age of 10, and he was hooked on the sport. He bought a “How to Bowl” book by Ned Day and taught himself how to bowl, and at the age of 13, he started working as a pin boy in Owensboro. By 16, he was working the counter and conditioning the lanes. Bobby said, “I would buy a pin boy a giant soft drink for a dime, and he would set pins for me, so I could practice until the league started.

Bellew said, “I would practice for hours shooting just the 10 pin and then the 7. I worked at it until I got it right. I would study Day’s book, especially the pictures of where the ball should be on each step of my approach.”

“After graduating high school, I enrolled at the University of Kentucky. I was told to take a summer class in business, so I enrolled at Lockyear Business College for the summer. It was there that I saw an ad in the Evansville paper that changed my life.”

“The ad was for the sale of King Pin Lanes in Henderson, KY. They wanted $15,000, but I negotiated the price down to $11,000. I put $5,500 down and financed the other half over five years. I was and still am the youngest bowling proprietor, at the age of 18, in the U.S. I literally lived at the lanes, making a small room in the bowling center to sleep. I was able to pay off that debt in only three years.”

“I started to make a name for myself hustling guys and bowling in tournaments, and was invited to bowl in a six game exhibition tournament in Cincinnati, OH, at Waltz Recreation. The place was packed and when I got to the door, security would not let me in, because I looked so young. I had to go back to my car and get my invitation.”

“By the time I got to my starting lane, practice was finishing. I bowled poorly my first two games, but finished well. After it was over, the manager asked Buddy Bomar, Ned Day, Joe Kristof, and me to bowl three more games for the people who could not watch the first exhibition. We agreed, and I won the match. That was my first big win against top-flight competition.”

“Some guys hustled by acting dumb or trying to sucker you in by bowling badly. I always said, ‘I want to bowl your best bowler, and I’m going to win.’ If it was a local person, we would bowl 12 games at their place and 12 games at my place. Who ever knocked down the most pins won the money, generally a few hundred dollars.”

“By the mid 50’s, I was bowling in the best tournaments in the Midwest. One was in Nashville, TN, in October 1958, The Southern Match Game Championships. It was there that Eddie Elias convinced 33 of us to start the Professional Bowlers Association. In 1959 we had two tournaments, and Dick Weber won both of them.”

“I realized that I needed a sponsor to be able to stay out on the bowling tour, and since sponsors weren’t knocking on my door, I went to theirs. In the fall of 1960, I walked into the office of Dan McCarthy, Vice President of Advertising and Sales, for the H Fendrich Cigar Company INC.

“To my surprise, he agreed to sponsor me. Our contract stated that H Fendrich Cigar Company INC. would pay my entry fees and expenses, but I would keep all the prize money. In return, I would hand out free cigars and talk about Fendrich’s products. The Evansville Press covered my signing, and the story stated, ‘I left with a trunk load of cigars and a flashy wardrobe.”

“I did not win a tour event in my six years on tour, but I did have a few top 20 finishes. I’m proud of my 199.8 average for over 900 games bowled on the PBA tour in my six year career. In 1960, my 205 average in The Press All Star League at Franklin Lanes, ranked 32nd in the nation.”

“In 1960, the H Fendrich Cigar Company INC. sponsored the first live bowling show in the Midwest, “Beat the Pro.” I earned $50.00 a week to bowl three games on TV (Channel 7) against a local bowler. It was so popular, that after a few months, Channel 7 installed a couple of lanes in its basement and televised the show from there every Sunday night.”

“Every week, there was a three game qualifying tournament that rotated around the area. The winner bowled against me on television the following Sunday. Prior to the lanes being installed at channel 7, they broadcasted from Franklin, Willow, and Colonial Lanes every Sunday night.”

“I don’t remember my record on the show, but I remember losing six times. Once was to a bowler with a 175 average. He thought I let him win, but I just had a bad night. I had an advantage bowling every week on TV, and most of the competitors were nervous. Bowlers had to wait six months after qualifying for the show to try again.”

“Paul Schucker was one of Franklin Lanes’ finest bowlers. He bowled against me twice on TV. The first time he bowled poorly and lost. The second time he was sure he was going to win, and was telling league bowlers he was going to beat me.”

“He started the third game with four strikes, to my four spares. To this day, I don’t know why I did it, but I reached over and patted him on the knee, and said Paul you’re bowling well and that is a nice start, but now I’m going to show you how a pro strikes out to finish a game. I finished with the last eight strikes for a 257 and won the match.”

“In 1961 I missed nine weeks of the show, bowling on tour. Larry Seiler filled in for me while I was bowling. When I flew into Evansville from Paramus, NJ (the last stop on the tour in 1961), there was a big crowd at the airport. I was wondering who was here that everybody wanted to see. When I deplaned, Joe Celania came up to me with a microphone in his hand. Channel 7 was covering my return from the PBA tour live on TV.”

“I have had the honor of bowling with and against the greatest bowlers of the era. I’ve put on more exhibitions and had more people watch me bowl than I ever dreamed possible. I’ve put on exhibitions in Evansville at Diamond, Colonial, and Lawndale Lanes and around the area at Diamond Lanes in Tell City & Owensboro, Don-Del Lanes in Petersburg, Hunters Bowl in Huntingburg, Ohio County Lanes in Beaver Dam, and at Victor Lanes.”

Until next time, may the high scores be yours!

Jeff Crowley covers bowling for the Evansville (IN) Courier Press. He has graciously allowed AlabamaBowling.Com to republish his articles. Jeff can be reached by e-mail at CrowleyJA@thegleaner.com

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