Category Archives: 1960’s

Artifacts from the Bowling Hall of Fame

A visit to the Bowling Hall of Fame in Dallas is a wonderful trip down memory lane. During my visit last year I came across a mock-up of a typical bowling center lunch counter that had bowling photos and advertisements laminated into the counter.

 

Here is a photo of an announcement on the outside of the center advertising an upcoming match between Andy Varipapa and Junie McMahon, sometime in 1959 or 1960.

 

Click image to enlarge

 

Eddie Elias, Andy Varipapa, & Lou Campi Celebrate 2nd Anniversary of the PBA Tour (1961)

The page below comes from the 1974 PBA Tour Guide. The article talks about the growth of the PBA Tour from its beginnings in 1959 to 1974. The photo shows Andy Varipapa, Lou Campi, and PBA Founder Eddie Elias blowing out the candles on a bowling ball as they celebrate the 2nd Anniversary of the PBA Tour in 1961.

 

Click on photo for larger view

 

Andy & Frank Varipapa finish 4th in ABC Classic Doubles (1961)

Andy’s last competitive achievement of note came at the ABC Tournament in Detroit in 1961. Just a few weeks before his 70th birthday Andy, the oldest bowler in the Classic Division, and his son Frank teamed up to finish fourth in the Classic Doubles with a 1252 total, as Andy rolled 648 to Frank’s 604.

 

Almost exactly one year later and just a few days before turning 71, Andy announced his retirement from competition after completing his last qualifying block at the PBA Houston Open.

 

1961 ABC - Full

From Johnny Petraglia: Andy Varipapa & The Madison Square Garden Exhibition – Memoirs of Johnny Petraglia

Andy Varipapa

 

When I was 13 yrs. old they built two lanes in Madison Square Garden(right where the Knicks play) Pros were coming in to do an exhibition. I was very excited because at 13 I was consumed with bowling and the history of it. The pros in the exhibition were Don Carter, Dick Weber, Marion Ladewig and Judy Audsley (now Judy Soutar) One side note here. Judy had accomplished so much at such an early age that Brunswick signed her.. So at the age of sixteen Judy was making appearances with the icons of the sport.

 

The exhibition was tremendous. When it ended, I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to be a pro bowler, I wanted to be like Dick Weber.

 

After telling my dad about the exhibition he set up a series of five 30 minute lessons with Andy Varipapa. This was tough because Andy was on Long Isl and we were in Brooklyn and we didn’t own a car, so we had to take two trains to get there. At 13 I had a 10 board drift to the left and hit the line stiff legged with my slide foot sideways. Andy asked (in broken English) “You seriously want to be a good bowler?” I said, “Of course, Andy. That’s why I’m here.” He said, “Then you will do what I tell you to do without any questions.” I said of course. He said, “The next shot you throw, after you let the ball go, I want you to bend down until your left knee touches the ground and then get back up, like you genuflect in church”. I did, he said, “Good, do it again.” I did. He said, “Keep doing it, I’ll be back in 20 minutes.”

 

After 20 minutes, my right thigh and left knee were so sore, I was bending as low as I could so that I only had to drop 3 inches to touch the floor. Andy came back and said, “Good, now you have knee bend, I’ll see you next week, if you’re still bending your knee we’ll go to step 2, if not, you’ll do this again for another 30 minutes.”

 

The next 4 lessons were taught the same way. Lesson 2 was putting me on the center dot, and scotch taping 2 pencils left and right of the center dot at the foul line. Andy said, “Now walk straight, because if you don’t, you’ll hit a pencil and fall on your ass.” 3, 4 and 5 were:

 

3 – release the wrist at the center of gravity (in bowling it’s the ankle)
4 – On the follow thru, the elbow must reach the height of the shoulder before it breaks and in the direction of the target.
5 – His most important… At the point of release the cup of the elbow MUST be facing downlane. If it isn’t you’ll have early turn and early turn is death, or as Andy put it… Morte’.

 

One of my biggest regrets is in the 1978 Long Isl. Open on TV I had the first 11 against Mark Roth. Andy is sitting right behind me, and I choked and hit the nose in front of my coach. 16 years later, when I bowled 300 against Walter Ray Williams in the National Championship in Toledo, Andy was already gone.

 

cento anni’…Johnny Petraglia

 

Source: Andy Varipapa & The Madison Square Garden Exhibition – Memoirs of Johnny Petraglia – BowlersMart.com Bowling Blog