Eagle winner makes 50th appearance at USBC Open Championships
March 24, 2026
RENO, Nev. – From starting as a scorekeeper to reaching championship glory, Terry Clayton of Lafayette, Indiana, has seen a little bit of everything on his way to 50 years at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships.
The 72-year-old right-hander celebrated his 50th tournament appearance last week at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nevada, and received a plaque, chevron and diamond lapel pin to commemorate the achievement.
Clayton was joined by his sons, Matt and Nicholas, during his ceremonial march down center aisle at the NBS, and his wife, Debby, also was in attendance and cheering on from the stands.
While the anticipation of the moment made for a few long nights for Clayton, he was thrilled to share the moment with his biggest supporters.
“To be honest with you, I’m kind of glad it’s over,” Clayton said after concluding his team event in Reno. “There was some anxiety and nervousness with it, and I didn’t sleep well the night before last or last night. It’s something very simple – marching out to be recognized for 50 – but it still weighs on your mind. I wanted to say a few words because there were a couple of people I wanted to thank, so I tried to go over what I was going to say and hoped to not trip on my words.
“This April, my wife and I will celebrate 48 years of marriage, and she did a lot of sacrificing over those years so I could go to the tournament, and I truly appreciate that. And the idea of bowling with my two boys, that keeps me going, too.”
Clayton’s debut at the 1974 event in Indianapolis started a little differently than most – he was working the event as a scorekeeper. He eventually laced up his bowling shoes toward the end of the tournament, firing a 621 series during his team event.
“I lived in Lafayette, which is about an hour from Indianapolis, so I was a scorekeeper for the ABC tournament in 1974,” said Clayton, a member of the Lafayette and Indiana State USBC Halls of Fame. “That’s when I realized I wanted to bowl this event.
“Back then, it was all manual. We had a headset, and we’d call up to the guy to put a nine or strike or whatever it may be on the scoreboard. We had to communicate to the guy running the scoreboard above the lanes.”
Although Clayton missed out on the tournament’s introduction to automatic scoring in 1979, his high scores at the Open Championships began piling up shortly after. His first all-events score of 1,800 took place in 1981 during the tournament’s trip to Memphis, Tennessee (1,897), and he secured his first 1,900 in Las Vegas (1,912) during the 1986 event.
Clayton surpassed 2,000 in Salt Lake City (2,050) during the 1996 Open Championships, and his top performance (2,141) helped cement his spot in the tournament’s record book in 2002.
While in Billings, Montana, Clayton and his Bruno’s Pizza teammates – Gerry Ness, David Hurtt, Michael McCormick and Steven Hartman – posted the winning score in Regular Team by rolling games of 1,105, 1,254 and 1,114 for a 3,473 total.
The team has stayed together at the Open Championships since claiming the title, and all were on-hand for Clayton’s milestone appearance.
“We had some other bowlers involved in the early parts and had some really good years where we were on different teams,” Clayton said. “All of a sudden, a couple guys left, and we decided to put the higher-average bowlers all together. We had all bowled in the same league back home but were on different teams. For the tournament, though, we came together and have been bowling ever since.
“We bowled in late April in Billings, so we were nervous and checked the scores every day to see if somebody had beat us. Gerry was our lefty and he bowled well that year but had 596. The other four of us had 700s. We had similar games to where we could talk and play off each other – the communication was fantastic, and we stayed ahead of the breakdown. But, we were nervous until the very end. Then, it was excitement for what we had accomplished. It was an honor.”
Clayton became the second member of the team to reach 50 years at the Open Championships. Hurtt celebrated his 50th appearance in 2023 and now has 53 years at the event, and Ness will be next in 2027.
He’s enjoyed traveling the country, noting Albuquerque, New Mexico, as one of his favorite spots to visit, but the challenge the tournament has provided is something that kept Clayton coming back year after year.
“It’s the challenge of bowling on a difficult condition and competing,” Clayton said. “I wish we bowled on tough shots all the time. The idea of coming to this tournament knowing the conditions are going to be difficult and you better be on top of your game – picking up spares is critical – is something I have enjoyed. Competing against great bowlers from across the country and even outside the country, I’ve enjoyed the challenge of bowling on a difficult shot.
“I think for sure I’m bowling next year for Gerry’s 50th, and then we’ll see from there. If my kids continue to bowl, though, that will keep me going for a while.”
Through 50 appearances, Clayton has knocked down 89,739 pins for a career average of 199.4.
The Open Championships is celebrating its 122nd edition in 2026 and making its 15th trip to Reno, Nevada. The 2026 event is scheduled to feature more than 55,000 bowlers and 11,000 five-player teams competing across 128 consecutive days at the National Bowling Stadium.
Follow the action from the tournament’s official Facebook and Instagram accounts.
The 72-year-old right-hander celebrated his 50th tournament appearance last week at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nevada, and received a plaque, chevron and diamond lapel pin to commemorate the achievement.
Clayton was joined by his sons, Matt and Nicholas, during his ceremonial march down center aisle at the NBS, and his wife, Debby, also was in attendance and cheering on from the stands.
While the anticipation of the moment made for a few long nights for Clayton, he was thrilled to share the moment with his biggest supporters.
“To be honest with you, I’m kind of glad it’s over,” Clayton said after concluding his team event in Reno. “There was some anxiety and nervousness with it, and I didn’t sleep well the night before last or last night. It’s something very simple – marching out to be recognized for 50 – but it still weighs on your mind. I wanted to say a few words because there were a couple of people I wanted to thank, so I tried to go over what I was going to say and hoped to not trip on my words.
“This April, my wife and I will celebrate 48 years of marriage, and she did a lot of sacrificing over those years so I could go to the tournament, and I truly appreciate that. And the idea of bowling with my two boys, that keeps me going, too.”
Clayton’s debut at the 1974 event in Indianapolis started a little differently than most – he was working the event as a scorekeeper. He eventually laced up his bowling shoes toward the end of the tournament, firing a 621 series during his team event.
“I lived in Lafayette, which is about an hour from Indianapolis, so I was a scorekeeper for the ABC tournament in 1974,” said Clayton, a member of the Lafayette and Indiana State USBC Halls of Fame. “That’s when I realized I wanted to bowl this event.
“Back then, it was all manual. We had a headset, and we’d call up to the guy to put a nine or strike or whatever it may be on the scoreboard. We had to communicate to the guy running the scoreboard above the lanes.”
Although Clayton missed out on the tournament’s introduction to automatic scoring in 1979, his high scores at the Open Championships began piling up shortly after. His first all-events score of 1,800 took place in 1981 during the tournament’s trip to Memphis, Tennessee (1,897), and he secured his first 1,900 in Las Vegas (1,912) during the 1986 event.
Clayton surpassed 2,000 in Salt Lake City (2,050) during the 1996 Open Championships, and his top performance (2,141) helped cement his spot in the tournament’s record book in 2002.
While in Billings, Montana, Clayton and his Bruno’s Pizza teammates – Gerry Ness, David Hurtt, Michael McCormick and Steven Hartman – posted the winning score in Regular Team by rolling games of 1,105, 1,254 and 1,114 for a 3,473 total.
The team has stayed together at the Open Championships since claiming the title, and all were on-hand for Clayton’s milestone appearance.
“We had some other bowlers involved in the early parts and had some really good years where we were on different teams,” Clayton said. “All of a sudden, a couple guys left, and we decided to put the higher-average bowlers all together. We had all bowled in the same league back home but were on different teams. For the tournament, though, we came together and have been bowling ever since.
“We bowled in late April in Billings, so we were nervous and checked the scores every day to see if somebody had beat us. Gerry was our lefty and he bowled well that year but had 596. The other four of us had 700s. We had similar games to where we could talk and play off each other – the communication was fantastic, and we stayed ahead of the breakdown. But, we were nervous until the very end. Then, it was excitement for what we had accomplished. It was an honor.”
Clayton became the second member of the team to reach 50 years at the Open Championships. Hurtt celebrated his 50th appearance in 2023 and now has 53 years at the event, and Ness will be next in 2027.
He’s enjoyed traveling the country, noting Albuquerque, New Mexico, as one of his favorite spots to visit, but the challenge the tournament has provided is something that kept Clayton coming back year after year.
“It’s the challenge of bowling on a difficult condition and competing,” Clayton said. “I wish we bowled on tough shots all the time. The idea of coming to this tournament knowing the conditions are going to be difficult and you better be on top of your game – picking up spares is critical – is something I have enjoyed. Competing against great bowlers from across the country and even outside the country, I’ve enjoyed the challenge of bowling on a difficult shot.
“I think for sure I’m bowling next year for Gerry’s 50th, and then we’ll see from there. If my kids continue to bowl, though, that will keep me going for a while.”
Through 50 appearances, Clayton has knocked down 89,739 pins for a career average of 199.4.
The Open Championships is celebrating its 122nd edition in 2026 and making its 15th trip to Reno, Nevada. The 2026 event is scheduled to feature more than 55,000 bowlers and 11,000 five-player teams competing across 128 consecutive days at the National Bowling Stadium.
Follow the action from the tournament’s official Facebook and Instagram accounts.