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- June/July 2016
SERVING THE BOWLING INDUSTRY SINCE 1967
Ted Hoffman Jr...The Best
by Lenny Nicholson
I met Ted Hoffman in 1969 when I lived in California and he had just move out west
from Philadelphia.
He was already established and influential in the Bowling Industry.
I met him through my life-long friend, Billy Hardwick. That initial meeting was typical
of two guys meeting except that I sensed a unique warmth that was generated from
Ted, based on some of the questions he had for me. I could tell he was sincerely in-
terested in my answers which is very rare when two men meet for the first time.
I went to work for the PBA in 1971 and would eventually work closely with him being
involved in many PBA Tournaments and Executive Board meetings. I immediately
noticed he had an inordinate amount of friends in the industry and was highly re-
spected with the PBA.
Some of the things people would tell me about Ted were: loyal, caring, generous,
thoughtful, kind and he was a man of integrity. All of that was easily visible.
In the early 80's Ted hired me to become Tournament Director in the PBA Western
Region. It was during the time that I really got to know him and saw how organized he
was. I can't begin to tell you how much this man taught me. He was the best business
man I ever met.
As a matter of fact, as I think about it-he was the best husband that I knew.
He was also: (from what I could tell)... The best Father.
AND...
The Best Son.
The Best Brother.
The Best Friend.
The Best Proprietor.
The Best Boss.
The Best Dressed.
The Best Neighbor.
He also had the best sense of humor. I could go on and on.
But, if you really want to know the meaning of: "THE BEST" just look in the dictionary
under those two words and I am sure you will see a life size picture of the man: Ted
Hoffman JR.
God Bless Ted Hoffman
We were all certainly blessed by having him as our friend.
Ted Hoffman, Mike Freidich, Lenny Nicholson and John Frost
Looking Back On Some of Ted Hoffman’s
Accomplishments
In a surprise announcement at the Bowl Expo Convention in Las Vegas , Ted
Hoffman, Jr., was named the recipient of the 2003 John Davis Award. Hoffman,
64, is a Charter Member and a "continuing contributor" of The Foundation, a group
of bowling enthusiasts that Davis formed in 1997.This particular award was estab-
lished in 2001 by The Foundation to recognize the world-wide contributions that
Davis has made in so many ways to the sport of bowling.
Ted literally grew up in the bowling business, as his father was a bowling proprie-
tor. At the age of 15, Ted rolled his first perfect game and (at that time) was the
youngest bowler in the world to have ever accomplished that feat. He later bowled
on several teams on the East Coast and in 1963 he won the Newsday Long Island
Open tournament, which was a real test of one's talent. In 1964 he was voted the
Pennsylvania "Bowler-of-the-Year" by the Philadelphia Sportswriters Association. It
was then that he decided to test the waters of the PBA National Tour. In his Pro
career, he finished 2nd on four occasions and also was victorious in two PBA Re-
gional events.
He married his high school sweetheart (Marilynn), and in 1968 they moved to the
West Coast to pursue a career in Bowling Management with Smallcomb Enter-
prises in Redwood City, CA. He started the PBA Western Regional Program and
successfully ran it for 30-years. In 1971, he won the Pat Patterson Award for out-
standing contributions to the PBA Regional Program. Ted has since been inducted
into eight Halls of Fame, including the prestigious PBA shrine.
In 1984, Ted became involved with the late Earl Anthony in a business partner-
ship in two Northern California bowling centers. Ted remained actively involved on
both the local and national level with BPAA groups and has served as President of
the Northern California Bowling Proprietors, which covers some 120-bowling cen-
ters. He was also responsible for bringing the PBA National Tour to the bay area
for over 20-years with his promotions. He also ran the Earl Anthony Memorial PBA
Regional tournament at Earl Anthony's Dublin Bowl. In 2002, that event was also
billed as a Foundation Games tournament. He was also instrumental in allowing
The Foundation to establish "The Earl Anthony Award of Excellence", a special
award given to bowlers who roll a 300-game during Foundation Games tourna-
ments.
Ted received a beautiful Lucite plaque, which was inscribed with: "2003 John
Davis Award, Presented to Foundation Member Ted Hoffman, Jr., for Outstanding
Contributions and Extraordinary Efforts of Behalf of the Advancement of the Sport
of Bowling".
Ted Hoffman, co-proprietor of Earl Anthony's Dublin Bowl in Dublin, Calif. host of
the 2010 Earl Anthony Memorial Classic - was named winner of the 2010 Bowling
Proprietors' Association of America Victor Lerner Memorial Medal, BPAA's highest
honor.
Hoffman, a long-time PBA Western Region tournament director and a member of
the PBA Hall of Fame, has been recognized for his lifetime of service to the sport.
From The Editor,
In the 26 years of being Managing Editor of Bowling World, I have never met any-
one like Ted Hoffman Jr. An amazing business man and he knew how to make it
all happen.
One of the most knowledgeable proprietors in our industry.
I knew Ted more through Fred Pfeiffer founder of Bowling World Newspaper.
Those two were close friends and shared it all. Even after Fred retired they kept in
close touch.
Bowling will miss Ted in a big way, as will the rest of us. He touched our lives in a
special way.
