Bowling, The Wright Way - September 8, 2001 by Don Wright
Bowling Legends and Heroes

On February 19, 2001 the bowling world lost a great man when Joe Norris passed away of pneumonia.

On July 16, 2001 ABC Hall of Famer Tom Hennessey died at age 76. Hennessey had been in failing health.

On August 14, 2001 the legendary Earl Anthony died unexpectedly at a friends home in Milwaukee.

Three bowlers, who easily could be listed as the best there ever was, lost in a single year. What these gentlemen accomplished could fill volumes.

Norris, the iron man of the sport, competed in his first ABC tournament in 1926. He organized the first of the fabled "beer teams" when Stroh Brewing Co. sponsored his American Bowling Congress team in 1933. Between 1934 and 1954 his teams won the 1934 ABC Tournament team title, captured five National Match Game championships, and a pair of ABC Tournament titles with the Tri-Par Radio team in 1954. One of his greatest achievements was bowling with a team of legendary American bowlers in an exhibition match against German bowlers prior to the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin.

At age 86, when most of us would be happy to just be able to bowl, he was rolling a 300 game.

Hennessey was part of a pretty good line up, also, teaming with Don Carter, Ray Bluth and Pat Patterson early in their careers in St. Louis. Hennessey moved to Detroit and bowled with the Stroh's and finally with the famous Budweisers.

For all of his titles, Hennessey is probably best remembered for his 300 game and 759 series in 1958 that enabled the Budweisers to post a team series score of 3,858. It was a record that would stand for 36 years.

Anthony didn't do much. He only had 50 national and senior tour titles. He dominated the sport like no other finishing in second place 42 times.

The smooth lefty was the first to win $100,000 in a single season and the first million-dollar man.

It was Anthony who set the bar a little higher. It was Anthony who made everyone better. It was Anthony we all tuned in to see on Saturday.

Anthony showed his talent behind the microphone as the color commentator for many of the televised finals. He was just as smooth there as he was on the lanes.

I didn't know any of these great men on a personal basis. I had met Norris and Anthony on several occasions and had interviewed both of them and had some great conversations with both. My picture of Don Carter, Dick Weber and Ray Bluth, hanging proudly in my office, is missing Hennessey who was ill at the time of the Hall of Fame induction at which I took the picture.

Norris was simply a kind, warm and witty gentleman who loved the sport and loved people. He was a great storyteller and when you can talk about things like the Olympics in Berlin people tend to listen. He was bowling against Nazi Germany two years before I was born. I was fascinated.

Anthony was a soft-spoken, articulate man who always appeared to have stepped out of a grooming magazine for men. Every hair was in place, every crease was perfect and he was every bit the professional.

A short conversation with Anthony and you knew he was knowledgeable of the game, the history of the sport and his passion to promote it. Anthony was aware of the Professional Bowlers Association history and had strong feelings for its future.

A friend told me recently that as I grow older I will be reading about friends passing away and attending more funerals and I suppose that's natural. However, it doesn't make it any easier. In a time when most sports pages read like a police blotter and parents teach their children to lie about their age and cheat in Little League, we lost three professionals who quietly earned their living at a sport I affectionately refer to as "The Rodney Dangerfield" sport.

You rarely will see me refer to athletes as heroes. But in this case they just might be.

See you on the lanes.