| PBA Bowling Tour: 1976 Season | |
|---|---|
| League | Professional Bowlers Association |
| Sport | Ten-pin bowling |
| Duration | December 31, 1975 – December 16, 1976 |
| PBA Tour | |
| Season MVP | Earl Anthony |
This is a recap of the 1976 season for the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour. It was the tour's 18th season, and consisted of 35 events. Earl Anthony added another "first" to his résumé, becoming the first player to win three PBA Player of the Year awards. Anthony again dominated the tour with six victories and topped the $100,000 season earnings mark for the second straight year (topping his previous record by cashing $110,808).[1][2]
Anthony, however, did not win a major title in 1976. Those titles went to Paul Moser (BPAA U.S. Open), Marshall Holman (Firestone Tournament of Champions) and Paul Colwell (Brunswick PBA National Championship). Holman (21) became the youngest Tournament of Champions winner ever with his victory, a distinction he would hold until 2016 when Swede Jesper Svensson won the ToC at age 20.
The lead for career PBA titles changed hands a few times during the season. Dick Weber collected his 25th career title in February to hold the lead until July, when Don Johnson also won his 25th. By the end of the season, Earl Anthony had reached 26 titles to pass both. (Weber, however, had also won four BPAA All-Star events earlier in his career. These were not counted as PBA titles at the time, but were added as titles in 2008 when the PBA amended its rules.)
Tournament schedule
| Event | Bowling center | City | Dates | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ford Open | Bowling Square | Arcadia, California | Dec 31 – Jan 3 | Johnny Guenther (11) |
| ARC Alameda Open | Mel's Southshore Bowl | Alameda, California | Jan 6–10 | Roy Buckley (4) |
| Showboat Invitational | Showboat Hotel Lanes | Las Vegas, Nevada | Jan 11–17 | Wayne Zahn (14) |
| Denver Open | Colorado Bowl | Denver, Colorado | Jan 20–24 | Jim Stefanich (13) |
| King Louie Open | King Louie West Lanes | Overland Park, Kansas | Jan 27–31 | George Pappas (4) |
| Cleveland Open | Buckeye Lanes | North Olmsted, Ohio | Feb 3–7 | Tommy Hudson (3) |
| Fair Lanes Open | Fair Lanes | Towson, Maryland | Feb 10–14 | Curt Schmidt (3) |
| AMF Pro Classic | Garden City Bowl | Garden City, New York | Feb 17–21 | Dick Weber (25) |
| Midas Open | Bradley Bowl | Windsor Locks, Connecticut | Feb 24–28 | Earl Anthony (21) |
| AMF Dick Weber Five-Star Open | Don Carter's Tamarac Lanes | Tamarac, Florida | Mar 2–6 | Earl Anthony (22) |
| New Orleans Lions Open | Pelican Lanes | Metarie, Louisiana | Mar 9–13 | Louie Moore (2) |
| BPAA U.S. Open | Forum Bowl | Grand Prairie, Texas | Mar 14–20 | Paul Moser (1) |
| Rolaids Open | Dick Weber Lanes | Florissant, Missouri | Mar 23–27 | Mark Roth (2) |
| Miller High Life Open | Red Carpet Celebrity Lanes | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Mar 30 – Apr 3 | Dave Soutar (15) |
| Monro-Matic Open | Imperial Lanes | Toledo, Ohio | Apr 6–10 | Billy Hardwick (17) |
| Firestone Tournament of Champions | Riviera Lanes | Akron, Ohio | Apr 13–17 | Marshall Holman (3) |
| Fresno HBO Open | Cedar Lanes | Fresno, California | Jun 6–10 | Earl Anthony (23) |
| Brunswick PBA National Championship | Leilani Lanes | Seattle, Washington | Jun 13–20 | Paul Colwell (7) |
| Portland HBO Open | Valley Lanes | Beaverton, Oregon | Jun 26–30 | Larry Laub (8) |
| PBA Doubles Classic | Saratoga Lanes | San Jose, California | Jul 7–11 | Paul Colwell (8), Don Johnson (25) |
| Tucson HBO Open | Golden Pin Lanes | Tucson, Arizona | Jul 16–20 | Barry Asher (10) |
| Showboat Best-Ball Doubles | Showboat Hotel Lanes | Las Vegas, Nevada | Jul 21–25 | Bill Straub (1), Tom Warren (1) |
| Quad Cities Open | Suburban Lanes | Davenport, Iowa | Jul 30 – Aug 3 | Carmen Salvino (14) |
| Buffalo Open | Thruway Lanes | Cheektowaga, New York | Aug 6–10 | Dave Frame (1) |
| New England Open | Lang's Bowlarama | Cranston, Rhode Island | Aug 13–17 | Jim Frazier (1) |
| Great Adventure Open | Curtis Suburban Lanes | Trenton, New Jersey | Aug 20–24 | Jay Robinson (2) |
| Waukegan Open | Bertrand Lanes | Waukegan, Illinois | Aug 26–30 | Earl Anthony (24) |
| Columbia 300 Open | N. Versailles Bowl | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Sep 3–7 | Mark Roth (3) |
| AMF Regional Champions Classic | North Hill Bowl | Minot, North Dakota | Oct 12–16 | Mike Berlin (1) |
| Buzz Fazio Open | Ken Nottke's Bowl | Battle Creek, Michigan | Oct 22–25 | Earl Anthony (25) |
| Northern Ohio Open | Westgate Lanes | Fairview Park, Ohio | Oct 29 – Nov 1 | Mark Roth (4) |
| Syracuse Open | Strike 'n Spare Lanes | Syracuse, New York | Nov 5–8 | Louie Moore (3) |
| Brunswick World Open | Brunswick Northern Bowl | Glendale Heights, Illinois | Nov 14–20 | Gary Dickinson (5) |
| AMF Grand Prix of Bowling | Thunderbowl | Allen Park, Michigan | Nov 30 – Dec 4 | Earl Anthony (26) |
| Hawaiian Invitational | (Multiple Centers) | Honolulu, Hawaii | Dec 6–16 | Larry Laub (9) |