PBA Bowling Tour: 1973 Season

This is a recap of the 1973 season for the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour. It was the tour's 15th season, and consisted of 33 events. Don McCune amassed six victories during the year, winning PBA Player of the Year honors along the way. McCune became known on tour this season for chemically softening his bowling balls to give them extra hooking power. The practice, which was completely legal at the time, was soon followed by several other bowlers in what would later be dubbed "The Year of the Soaker".[1] This eventually led to new ABC and PBA rules related to altering bowling ball surfaces, while prompting bowling ball manufacturers to develop new, softer cover stocks.[2]

PBA Bowling Tour: 1973 Season
LeagueProfessional Bowlers Association
SportTen-pin bowling
DurationJanuary 2 – December 14, 1973
PBA Tour
Season MVPDon McCune

Mike McGrath continued to come up big in big tournaments. His win in the BPAA U.S. Open gave him three majors among his first eight titles. McGrath would pick up his ninth and tenth titles later in the season.

Jim Godman became the first two-time winner in the Firestone Tournament of Champions, as he had also won the event in 1969.[3] Earl Anthony captured his seventh PBA title and first major at the PBA National Championship.

Tournament schedule
EventBowling centerCityDatesWinner
San Jose Open Saratoga Lanes San Jose, California Jan 2–6 Allie Clarke (3)
Don Carter Classic Bowling Square Arcadia, California Jan 9–13 Gary Dickinson (1)
Showboat Invitational Showboat Lanes Las Vegas, Nevada Jan 17–20 Barry Asher (7)
Denver Open Colorado Bowl Denver, Colorado Jan 23–27 Jay Robinson (1)
King Louie Open King Louie West Lanes Overland Park, Kansas Jan 31 – Feb 3 Bobby Knipple (1)
Lincoln-Mercury Open Pelican Lanes New Orleans, Louisiana Feb 6–10 Carmen Salvino (10)
Fair Lanes Open Fair Lanes Towson, Maryland Feb 13–17 Dick Ritger (11)
Winston-Salem Classic Major League Lanes Winston-Salem, North Carolina Feb 20–24 Don McCune (3)
Miller High Life Open Red Carpet Lanes Milwaukee, Wisconsin Feb 27 – Mar 3 Don McCune (4)
BPAA U.S. Open Madison Square Garden New York, New York Mar 4–10 Mike McGrath (8)
Ebonite Open Buckeye Lanes Toledo, Ohio Mar 13–17 Dick Weber (24)
STP Classic Bird Bowl Miami, Florida Mar 20–24 Dick Ritger (12)
Firestone Tournament of Champions Riviera Lanes Akron, Ohio Mar 27–31 Jim Godman (8)
Winston-Salem Open Brunswick Wonderbowl Downey, California Jun 1–5 Don McCune (5)
Home Box Office Open Valley Lanes Portland, Oregon Jun 9–13 Dave Soutar (13)
Seattle Open Ballinger Bowl Seattle, Washington Jun 15–18 Earl Anthony (6)
Fresno Open Cedar Lanes Fresno, California Jun 22–25 Don McCune (6)
Redwood City Open Mel's Bowl Redwood City, California Jun 29 – Jul 2 Don McCune (7)
Home Box Office Open Cactus Bowl Tucson, Arizona Jul 6–10 Barry Asher (8)
Houston-Sertoma Open Stadium Bowl Houston, Texas Jul 12–15 Don Johnson (21)
Fort Worth Open Meadowbrook Lanes Fort Worth, Texas Jul 19–23 Gary Dickinson (2)
Home Box Office Open Penn Bowl Pennsville, New Jersey Jul 27–31 Mike McGrath (9)
Starlanes-Ebonite Open Cranston Bowl Cranston, Rhode Island Aug 3–7 Paul Colwell (3)
Bay City Open Eastland Lanes Bay City, Michigan Aug 10–13 Don Johnson (22)
Columbia 300 Open Bertrand Lanes Waukegan, Illinois Aug 16–20 Marty Piraino (4)
PBA National Championship Hilander Bowling Palace Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Aug 26 – Sep 1 Earl Anthony (7)
Japan Gold Cup Japan Starlanes Centers Japan Sep 10–23 Don McCune (8)
Brunswick Eastern Open Bayside Lanes Bayside, New York Oct 19–23 Matt Surina (2)
Painesville Open Painesville Lanes Painesville, Ohio Oct 26–29 Paul Colwell (4)
Canada Dry Open Hartfield Lanes Detroit, Michigan Nov 2–6 Dick Ritger (13)
Brut Open Skylark Bowl St. Louis, Missouri Nov 9–13 Butch Gearhart (5)
Brunswick World Open Brunswick Northern Bowl Glendale Heights, Illinois Nov 18–24 Jim Godman (9)
Winston-Salem Invitational (Multiple Centers) Honolulu, Hawaii Dec 4–14 Mike McGrath (10)

References
  1. "PBA 60th Anniversary Most Memorable Moments". PBA.com. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  2. Levin, Dan (17 September 1973). "SI Vault: Now He's Throwing a Wet One, Too". si.com. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  3. "1973 Firestone Tournament of Champions". PBA.
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