Les Schissler, USBC Hall of Famer, dies at age 83
September 09, 2013
ARLINGTON, Texas – Les Schissler of Brighton, Colo., the first bowler to have a perfect game in team competition at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships, died Sept. 7 at age 83.
Schissler won three titles in the Classic division at the 1966 USBC Open Championships, taking the singles crown with a 760 series, the all-events title with a 2,112 total and he was a member of the Shur-Hooks team that captured the team title.
The following year in Miami Beach, Fla., he rolled the first 300 game in team play at the Open Championships en route to a fifth-place finish in Classic All-Events.
He would post 12 top-10 finishes in his Open Championships career. He was a member of teams that took second in the Classic Team division in 1964 (Bel Mateo Bowl), 1968 (Ebonite) and 1977 (Gus’s Gutters).
Schissler, who was inducted into the USBC Hall of Fame in 1991 for Superior Performance, took up the sport at age 27 and joined the Professional Bowlers Association Tour four years later in 1962. He won the first of his six PBA Tour titles at the Indianapolis 500 Open in July 1963. He won his only major title at the 1967 U.S. Open (then known as the BPAA All-Star Tournament).
He had three top-10 finishes at the USBC Masters. His highest Masters finish (fourth place) came in 1983 at age 53. Schissler also competed on the PBA Senior Tour, with a third-place finish in 1987 being his highest finish.
Schissler was a two-time selection to Bowling Magazine’s All-America team (1966, 1967) and also was honored with the PBA Steve Nagy Sportsmanship Award in 1976. He was selected to the Denver Bowling Association Hall of Fame in 1986.
Services are pending.
Schissler won three titles in the Classic division at the 1966 USBC Open Championships, taking the singles crown with a 760 series, the all-events title with a 2,112 total and he was a member of the Shur-Hooks team that captured the team title.
The following year in Miami Beach, Fla., he rolled the first 300 game in team play at the Open Championships en route to a fifth-place finish in Classic All-Events.
He would post 12 top-10 finishes in his Open Championships career. He was a member of teams that took second in the Classic Team division in 1964 (Bel Mateo Bowl), 1968 (Ebonite) and 1977 (Gus’s Gutters).
Schissler, who was inducted into the USBC Hall of Fame in 1991 for Superior Performance, took up the sport at age 27 and joined the Professional Bowlers Association Tour four years later in 1962. He won the first of his six PBA Tour titles at the Indianapolis 500 Open in July 1963. He won his only major title at the 1967 U.S. Open (then known as the BPAA All-Star Tournament).
He had three top-10 finishes at the USBC Masters. His highest Masters finish (fourth place) came in 1983 at age 53. Schissler also competed on the PBA Senior Tour, with a third-place finish in 1987 being his highest finish.
Schissler was a two-time selection to Bowling Magazine’s All-America team (1966, 1967) and also was honored with the PBA Steve Nagy Sportsmanship Award in 1976. He was selected to the Denver Bowling Association Hall of Fame in 1986.
Services are pending.