Earl Roderick Anthony was an American professional bowler who amassed records of 43 titles and six Player of the Year awards on the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour. For over two decades, his career title count was listed as 41. The count was amended to 43 in 2008, when the PBA chose to retroactively award PBA titles for ABC Masters championships if won by a PBA member at the time. He is widely credited for having increased bowling's popularity in the United States. He was the first bowler to earn over $100,000 in a season (1975), and the first to reach $1,000,000 in lifetime PBA earnings (1982). His ten professional major titles—six PBA National Championships, two Firestone Tournament of Champions titles, and two ABC Masters titles—are the second most all time, tied with Pete Weber and five behind Jason Belmonte.
Earl Anthony, 1979
Photo of Earl Anthony holding trophy for shooting 300 on live TV in Japan PBA Tournament
Signed and attested scratch 64 golf score by Earl Anthony
Signed and attested scratch 64 golf score by Earl Anthony
Ten-pin bowling is a type of bowling in which a bowler rolls a bowling ball down a wood or synthetic lane toward ten pins positioned evenly in four rows in an equilateral triangle. The objective is to knock down all ten pins on the first roll of the ball, or failing that, on the second roll. People approach modern ten-pin bowling as either a demanding precision sport or as a simple recreational pastime.
Conventional delivery. Finger position at release can induce side rotation causing the ball to hook (curve).
Delivery styles often involve a long follow-through and widely extended balance arm and leg. (shown: Clara Guerrero)
An 1895 advertisement for bowling lockers (price: $6.00 each section) suggests the attire and facilities used by bowlers of the era.
Bowling alley at the Pleasant Beach Hotel, Bainbridge Island, Washington (c. 1898)