This is a recap of the 1974 season for the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour. It was the tour's 16th season, and consisted of 31 events. Earl Anthony won back-to-back majors (in the Firestone Tournament of Champions and Brunswick PBA National Championship) among his six victories during the year, easily winning PBA Player of the Year honors. Anthony also joined Mike McGrath as the only PBA players to successfully defend a PBA National Championship.[1]
| PBA Bowling Tour: 1974 Season | |
|---|---|
| League | Professional Bowlers Association |
| Sport | Ten-pin bowling |
| Duration | January 1 – December 12, 1974 |
| PBA Tour | |
| Season MVP | Earl Anthony |
The other major title of the season, the BPAA U.S. Open, was won by Larry Laub for his first major and sixth title overall.
In the 1974 season opener in Alameda, CA, a live national TV audience witnessed the PBA Tour's third televised 300 game, rolled by Jim Stefanich in a semi-final match.[2] Earl Anthony nearly duplicated the feat when he fired a 299 game in the final match of the season-ending Winston-Salem Hawaiian Invitational.[3]
Tournament schedule
edit| Event | Bowling center | City | Dates | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Midas Open | Mel's Bowl | Alameda, California | Jan 1–5 | Dick Ritger (14) |
| Don Carter Classic | Bowling Square | Arcadia, California | Jan 8–12 | Larry Laub (4) |
| Showboat Invitational | Showboat Lanes | Las Vegas, Nevada | Jan 16–19 | Jim Stefanich (12) |
| King Louie Open | King Louie West Lanes | Overland Park, Kansas | Jan 22–26 | George Pappas (3) |
| Cleveland Open | Buckeye Lanes | North Olmsted, Ohio | Jan 29 – Feb 2 | Larry Laub (5) |
| Fair Lanes Open | Fair Lanes | Towson, Maryland | Feb 5–9 | Dick Ritger (15) |
| BPAA U.S. Open | Madison Square Garden | New York, New York | Feb 10–16 | Larry Laub (6) |
| Winston-Salem Classic | Major League Lanes | Winston-Salem, North Carolina | Feb 19–23 | Ed Ressler (1) |
| STP Classic | Bird Bowl | Miami, Florida | Feb 28 – Mar 2 | Alex Seymore (1) |
| New Orleans Open | Pelican Lanes | New Orleans, Louisiana | Mar 5–9 | Paul Colwell (5) |
| Lincoln-Mercury Open | Colorado Bowl | Denver, Colorado | Mar 12–16 | Johnny Guenther (8) |
| Miller High Life Open | Red Carpet-Bowlero | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Mar 19–23 | Johnny Guenther (9) |
| Ebonite Open | Imperial Lanes | Toledo, Ohio | Mar 26–30 | Wayne Zahn (13) |
| Firestone Tournament of Champions | Riviera Lanes | Akron, Ohio | Apr 2–6 | Earl Anthony (8) |
| Brunswick PBA National Championship | Brunswick Wonderbowl | Downey, California | Jun 2–9 | Earl Anthony (9) |
| Seattle Open | Ballinger Bowl | Seattle, Washington | Jun 14–18 | Ed Bourdase (3) |
| Winston-Salem Open | Valley Lanes | Portland, Oregon | Jun 22–26 | Gary Dickinson (3) |
| Home Box Office Open | Saratoga Lanes | San Jose, California | Jun 28 – Jul 2 | Earl Anthony (10) |
| Fresno Open | Cedar Lanes | Fresno, California | Jul 5–8 | Earl Anthony (11) |
| Home Box Office Open | Cactus Bowl | Tucson, Arizona | Jul 12–16 | Bob Hood (1) |
| Houston-Sertoma Open | Stadium Bowl | Houston, Texas | Jul 19–23 | Tommy Hudson (1) |
| Home Box Office Open | Bradley Bowl | Windsor Locks, Connecticut | Aug 2–6 | Nelson Burton, Jr. (11) |
| New Jersey Open | Edison Bowl | Edison, New Jersey | Aug 9–13 | Carmen Salvino (11) |
| Home Box Office Open | Thruway Lanes | Buffalo, New York | Aug 16–20 | Dave Soutar (14) |
| Starlanes-Ebonite Open | Bertrand Lanes | Waukegan, Illinois | Aug 22–26 | Dick Ritger (16) |
| Canada Dry Open | Hartfield Lanes | Detroit, Michigan | Aug 29 – Sep 2 | Steve Neff (1) |
| Buzz Fazio Open | Nottke Bowl | Battle Creek, Michigan | Oct 18–21 | Don Johnson (23) |
| Canada Dry Open | Westgate Lanes | Cleveland, Ohio | Oct 25–28 | Earl Anthony (12) |
| Columbia 300 Open | Strike 'n Spare Lanes | Syracuse, New York | Nov 1–4 | Skee Foremsky (6) |
| Brunswick World Open | Brunswick Northern Bowl | Glendale Heights, Illinois | Nov 10–16 | Johnny Petraglia (9) |
| Winston-Salem Hawaiian Invitational | (Multiple Centers) | Honolulu, Hawaii | Dec 2–12 | Earl Anthony (13) |