RENO, Nev. - Jerry Rich Sr. of Fairport Harbor, Ohio, was the man of the hour at the 2013 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships as his friends and family packed the seats at the National Bowling Stadium to help him celebrate his 50th tournament appearance Saturday.

The 71-year-old right-hander began his USBC Open Championships career at the 1960 event in Toledo, Ohio, and became the 161st competitor in tournament history, and first of three this week, to join the exclusive 50-Year Club. He received a plaque, chevron and diamond lapel pin to commemorate the milestone.

As he made his ceremonial march down Center Aisle, Rich was greeted by more than 50 friends and family members who made the trip from Ohio.

"It was a nice feeling coming down there," said Rich, who is a member of the Lake Geauga Bowling Association Hall of Fame. "Fifty years is a long time, and I had a lot of people come from Ohio just to watch this. They're good friends and made it quite an experience."

Seven teams from Fairport Harbor's Rich Lanes made the trip to The Biggest Little City in the World to compete at the Open Championships, and those who were in town just to watch wore custom T-shirts featuring a photo of Rich bowling in the 1960s. Rich's parents built Rich Lanes in 1954, and the center still is family owned.

"I had a little feeling that something was going on," Rich said. "I kept hearing this person was coming and that person was coming, so I knew there was something going on. The idea of the shirts came from a group of them sitting in the bar, and it turned out to be a nice idea. It meant a lot just seeing them up there. I never would've expected them to come. It's a long way to come for this, so it says a lot about our friends."

Rich started working in his parent's bowling center setting pins and was 18 years old when he first joined his father on the lanes at the Open Championships. Although it was tough finding teams to join him in the years that followed, he began putting together his own teams and hasn't missed the event since 1966.

"My father brought me to my first tournament in Toledo," Rich said. "There were some professional teams there, including Dick Weber, so the place was crowded with people watching them. I had no one to go with the next year, made it to Des Moines in 1962 by train and then missed the next three years because no one else in the area was going. That's when I started getting my own teams together. I figure I've organized more than 300 teams over the years. I've always enjoyed it. I've done a lot of traveling, went a lot of places I never would have been and had a lot of fun along the way."

Rich finished his milestone campaign with 508 in team, 452 in singles and 434 in doubles for a 1,394 all-events total. In 50 tournament appearances, he has knocked down 82,559 pins for a career average of 184.6.

Presenting sponsors for the 2013 USBC Open Championships include Circus Circus Reno, Eldorado Hotel Casino Reno and Silver Legacy Resort Casino Reno.