6
– AUGUST 2013
SERVING THE BOWLING INDUSTRY SINCE 1967
BWAA Past President And Life Member
John Jowdy Passes Away
PBA Hall of Famer and Coaching Pioneer Was 93
Led Bowling Writers Association of America in 1996
EL CAJON, Calif. - Professional Bowlers Association Hall of Famer and pioneer bowling coach
John Jowdy of El Cajon, Calif., died today of natural causes. He was 93.
Jowdy was inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame in 1988 primarily for his coaching contributions but
was also a prolific bowling writer and bowling industry advocate. He was president of the Bowling
Writers Association of America in 1996 and was later voted a Life Member of the organization.
"John Jowdy was one of the greatest minds in the history of our sport," said PBA Commissioner
Tom Clark. "He cared about bowling and its greatest players as much as anyone ever has. Anyone
who had the chance to meet or know him is better for it, and will never forget him, his humor, his vast
knowledge or his cigar."
Jowdy began his coaching career by instructing youth bowlers in San Antonio, Texas, in the
1940s and '50s. Since the late '60s he had coached more than 100 professional and amateur men
and women bowlers.
He joined bowling ball manufacturer Columbia 300 in 1962 and worked for many years as the
company's traveling salesman, public relations spokesman and PBA Tour representative. He is
credited with the development of Team Columbia, a forerunner of the "pro staff"
concept now utilized by all major bowling ball manufacturers.
Most recently he was inducted into the Bowling Coaches Hall of Fame in 2010 in recognition of
his coaching contributions to the sport. He also was inducted into the Texas Bowling Hall of Fame,
the San Antonio Bowling Hall of Fame, the Bowling Writers Association of America (IBMA) Hall of
Fame, and the United States Bowling Congress Hall of Fame (2001). In 2006, he was chosen as the
International Bowling Coach of the Year by the World Bowling Writers. He was the recipient of bowl-
ing's Flowers for the Living Award in 1985.
"John was an all-round pioneer in the sport," said fellow Hall of Famer and good friend Chuck
Pezzano. "He was an expert in many areas of the sport and probably coached more professional
bowlers than anybody. I remember seeing him at tournaments where players would line up to get
advice from him. He was an advocate for women's bowling and what a lot of people don't know is
that he was also a very good bowler."
Jowdy also was instrumental in starting the John Jowdy Scholarship for high school and college
bowlers, which Columbia 300 continues to sponsor in his honor.
As a writer, Jowdy's columns appeared in dozens of bowling newspapers and magazines and he
was the author of two books on the sport, Bowling Execution and Bowling Execution, Second Edi-
tion.
"John had made peace with his life and was ready to move on," said Hall of Famer Marshall
Holman who had recently talked to Jowdy.
Service and memorial information will be released when it becomes available.
Jowdy-ism
Competitive Bowlers Are Serious Bowlers
Recreational Bowlers Bowl For Fun
There are several ways to play the sport of bowling. Each has its own niche in the game. The
great thing about bowling is it can be played at any level; as a recreational activity or as a competi-
tive sport.
For the recreational bowler, the game provides endless social and competitive opportunities. There
is the camaraderie of being part of a team, plus a chance to engage in open play and enjoy some
relaxing times with family members or friends. In league play, recreational bowlers seek the opportu-
nity to attain personal goals, such as the first 600 series, then perhaps the first 700 series, and of
course, the
first 300 game. Recreational bowlers enjoy league and open play.
Competitive bowlers are classified as the elite type and engage in classic leagues, in upper classi-
fications of city, state, and national tournaments, plus megabucks and side tournaments at the an-
nual USBC National Tournaments. These are the bowlers who usually set their sights on competing
in the Professional Bowlers Association tour. As a matter of fact, during the past 10 or 12 years, a
great percentage of the PBA membership is made of “graduates” of either megabucks events or
other elite tournaments.
LEAGUE BOWLING: League bowling has been the backbone of the sport since the American
Bowling Congress formed in 1895. People from teams perform for a specific period of time. Leagues
set some form of competitive schedule in which champions are crowned at the end of the season,
usually at a bowling banquet. Most professional bowlers began their careers by engaging in league
play. Children, from three years up, are taught the game in Learn To Bowl classes, then advance
into junior and
eventually adult leagues that feature team play.
Team play can consist of two, three, four or five bowlers. There are mixed leagues, senior
leagues, all men, all women, or any combination thereof. Most important, there are leagues for bowl-
ers of various abilities, thanks to a handicap system. Leagues can be scheduled during the morning,
afternoon, evening, weekdays, or weekends. One of the great features of league bowling are the
various divisions
of competition. Top-caliber bowlers usually compete in non-handicap leagues, generally referred to
as
classic leagues. Nevertheless, the proven handicap system provides less-talented players the oppor-
tunity to bowl on the same team with the better performers.
DECLINE IN TEAM BOWLING: Five-man team bowling has gradually declined during the past 40
years. This is principally due to the PBA’s tremendous impact on individual competition during the
60’s,. Team bowling reigned supreme before the organization of the PBA in the early 60’s. Teams
from Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit, Cleveland, St. Louis, and the New York-New Jersey areas fielded
teams with star-studded lineups. Many of them became ABC Hall of Famers. Beer companies like
Budweiser, Falstaff, Strohs, Hamm’s, Pfeiffer’s, Meister Brau, and Monarch were staunch support-
ers. These teams competed in the Bowling Proprietors Association of America All-Star Champion-
ships. However, with the emergence of the PBA, team bowling lost its appeal. Superstars like Don
Carter, Dick Weber, Ray Bluth, Bill Lillard, Billy Welu, Harry Smith, Dick Hoover, and Glen Allison all
opted for the glory of individual performances in the professional game.
AVERAGE AND HANDICAP LEAGUES: There may be a mistaken belief that to be a league
bowler you must average 180 or better. Not so. The median average for men is around 165. For
women, it is about 140. Bowling’s handicap system makes it possible for bowlers of varying degrees
to compete on an equitable basis. A 100 percent handicap is the most equitable system. The lower
the handicap percentage, the more advantage the higher teams and individuals have. For example,
a 90 percent handicap usually results in closer results than an 80 percent handicap. Each bowler’s
handicap is determined by subtracting his or hers average from par (normally 200) and multiplying
by the percentage
established.
OPEN PLAY
Open play consists of unorganized or organized bowling games. Unorganized open play can
mean friends rolling a couple of games on the spur of the moment. Children can go with their parents
or couples can go bowling on a date. Open play is not restricted to recreational bowlers. Serious
bowlers may simply want to practice either alone, with a coach, or one or two others who can offer
analysis and
critique. However, you must only heed the advice of competent bowlers or coaches who know the
game. Unfortunately, bowling, like many other individual spots, is replete with wanna-be coaches
whose comments are well intended but unfounded. Although practice is the key to improving your
game to another level, it is beneficial only when applied properly.
Organized open play includes activities such as birthday parties, company outings, or “glow bowl-
ing”.
ELITE BOWLING: Elite bowling can be broken down into two categories; professional and ama-
teur. A professional in sports is a person who either earns a living performing in the sport or earns as
much money in the game as he earns in his chosen profession. Men or women in the PBA are card-
carrying professionals and have declared their status. On the other hand, numerous bowlers in the
United States and around the world prefer to maintain amateur status, but in reality, they bowl for a
living. I refer to these type bowlers as “closet professionals” They compete in all amateur tourna-
ments and are eligible to compete in the BPAA US open, the USBC Masters, all megabucks tourna-
ments, all FIQ tournaments and a slew of high-paying tournaments that are closed to card-carrying
PBA members. These amateurs are ever-present at High-Roller and Eliminator tournaments and
enter all brackets and sweepers. Normally, they don’t win the grand prize but they usually take the
bulk of the money in brackets and sweepers.
Fortunately, one major change has transpired regarding “amateur status”. Under new rules, pro-
fessional bowlers have been permitted to represent their country in international competition by
becoming members of Team USA. This was a fitting gesture, particularly in view of the fact that for
umpteen years, Team USA has had to face competition from foreign teams loaded with “so-called”
amateurs; amateurs who earned their livelihood from bowling, yet were permitted to bowl in sanc-
tioned international events.
Needless to say, in 2008, Team USA, buoyed by players like Patrick Allen, Chris Barnes, Parker
Bohn, Tommy Jones, Sean Rash and Walter Ray Williams, (photo) dominated play in their first ven-
ture into international team competition.
As has in the past, the United States stars further demonstrated America’s supremacy in the
bowling game, not only on American soil but all around the world.
Reprinting this article is our way of saying thank you, to a great writer and coach, John Jowdy. He
will be missed by many.
