Michigan bowler makes 50th appearance at Open Championships
May 23, 2026
RENO, Nev. – Larry Franz of Redford, Michigan, recently celebrated his 50th appearance at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships and reflected on plenty of striking and great experiences along the way.
The 75-year-old right-hander was presented with a plaque, chevron and diamond lapel pin to commemorate the achievement at the National Bowling Stadium. Although the emotion of the moment and thinking of his wife of 53 years, Mary, who passed away in 2024, made the words tough to come by, Franz was thankful to be joined by a family friend, Becky, during the presentation at center aisle.
Shortly after joining the 50-Year Club, all eyes returned to Franz once again in Game 3 of his team event. He started the game with eight strikes, before leaving a 10 pin in the ninth frame. He finished the game with 278 for a 642 series.
“My highest score ever here is 279 – I had the first nine and left a solid 10 in the 10th,” Franz said. “You have to make shots here. You have to be accurate. If you can throw the ball the same way every time, you’re going to bowl well. I tried playing in at first, and that wasn’t good – I left two 7-10s and shot 180. I started moving right – trying to keep it straight up around eight to 10 – and then threw four in a row in the second game, then 278.”
Franz made his tournament debut at the 1975 Open Championships in Dayton, Ohio.
“I bowled quite a bit before I was drafted – I was drafted in 1969 and got out in 1971,” Franz said. “I was married in 1972, finished school through the VA and then was inducted into the All Stars – we used to bowl in Detroit at Thunderbowl. I bowled for Lew Ansara for quite a few years. I bowled with Stroh’s for a few years. I’m not sure who I was bowling with when I went out for the first one in 1975, but it was a great experience, a lot of fun and I really enjoyed it.”
He’s persevered through the years as well to continue to bowl across the country.
“When I was in the Army, I got hurt and was in the hospital for about a year and a half,” said Franz, a member of the Metro Detroit USBC, Michigan Majors Bowling Association and Senior Singles Open Halls of Fame. “They told me I may never walk again and definitely wouldn’t bowl again. I’ve had four surgeries on my back now, and they keep telling me someday I won’t be able to do this. When I can’t bowl anymore, then I’ll quit. I love it too much.”
For 50 years, Franz has maintained an impressive average of 196.3 at the Open Championships and has knocked down 88,363 pins along the way.
His top three-game series took place during team competition in 1993 (738 series), and he also posted his top all-events score that year in Tulsa, Oklahoma (2,028). He nearly matched the nine-game total the following year in Mobile, Alabama, posting 2,003.
One of his favorite on-lane moments during his run at the Open Championships occurred during a session at the Bowlers Journal Championships in 1975 when he politely declined some advice from USBC and Professional Bowlers Association Hall of Famer Don Johnson and went on to win the five-game singles event with a 1,206 total.
“We bowled the ABCs, then right after went to the bowling alley that was hosting the Bowlers Journal – we didn’t get there until like 1:30 in the morning, signed up and started bowling,” Franz said. “I was practicing and knew Don Johnson from the tour. He said, ‘Larry, that’s not the line. You won’t be able to bowl well there and have to move inside.’ I told him that right now, it seemed pretty good for me.
“I ended up shooting 1,200 – the highest score up at that time. After I had won and they had sent me the trophy, he wrote me a letter saying, ‘I’m so sorry, Larry. I can’t believe I said you couldn’t play there.’ It was kind of funny. I wish I had kept the letter. He was a real nice guy.”
Franz has found success at the Senior Olympics, earning many medals over the years. In May of next year, he’s scheduled to travel to Japan to compete.
He plans to keep traveling to the Open Championships, too.
“I’m going to stay here as long as I can bowl,” Franz said. “I’ll be here every year until I can’t do it anymore. I love this tournament. I hope to get 70 years in if I can.”
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 75-year-old right-hander was presented with a plaque, chevron and diamond lapel pin to commemorate the achievement at the National Bowling Stadium. Although the emotion of the moment and thinking of his wife of 53 years, Mary, who passed away in 2024, made the words tough to come by, Franz was thankful to be joined by a family friend, Becky, during the presentation at center aisle.
Shortly after joining the 50-Year Club, all eyes returned to Franz once again in Game 3 of his team event. He started the game with eight strikes, before leaving a 10 pin in the ninth frame. He finished the game with 278 for a 642 series.
“My highest score ever here is 279 – I had the first nine and left a solid 10 in the 10th,” Franz said. “You have to make shots here. You have to be accurate. If you can throw the ball the same way every time, you’re going to bowl well. I tried playing in at first, and that wasn’t good – I left two 7-10s and shot 180. I started moving right – trying to keep it straight up around eight to 10 – and then threw four in a row in the second game, then 278.”
Franz made his tournament debut at the 1975 Open Championships in Dayton, Ohio.
“I bowled quite a bit before I was drafted – I was drafted in 1969 and got out in 1971,” Franz said. “I was married in 1972, finished school through the VA and then was inducted into the All Stars – we used to bowl in Detroit at Thunderbowl. I bowled for Lew Ansara for quite a few years. I bowled with Stroh’s for a few years. I’m not sure who I was bowling with when I went out for the first one in 1975, but it was a great experience, a lot of fun and I really enjoyed it.”
He’s persevered through the years as well to continue to bowl across the country.
“When I was in the Army, I got hurt and was in the hospital for about a year and a half,” said Franz, a member of the Metro Detroit USBC, Michigan Majors Bowling Association and Senior Singles Open Halls of Fame. “They told me I may never walk again and definitely wouldn’t bowl again. I’ve had four surgeries on my back now, and they keep telling me someday I won’t be able to do this. When I can’t bowl anymore, then I’ll quit. I love it too much.”
For 50 years, Franz has maintained an impressive average of 196.3 at the Open Championships and has knocked down 88,363 pins along the way.
His top three-game series took place during team competition in 1993 (738 series), and he also posted his top all-events score that year in Tulsa, Oklahoma (2,028). He nearly matched the nine-game total the following year in Mobile, Alabama, posting 2,003.
One of his favorite on-lane moments during his run at the Open Championships occurred during a session at the Bowlers Journal Championships in 1975 when he politely declined some advice from USBC and Professional Bowlers Association Hall of Famer Don Johnson and went on to win the five-game singles event with a 1,206 total.“We bowled the ABCs, then right after went to the bowling alley that was hosting the Bowlers Journal – we didn’t get there until like 1:30 in the morning, signed up and started bowling,” Franz said. “I was practicing and knew Don Johnson from the tour. He said, ‘Larry, that’s not the line. You won’t be able to bowl well there and have to move inside.’ I told him that right now, it seemed pretty good for me.
“I ended up shooting 1,200 – the highest score up at that time. After I had won and they had sent me the trophy, he wrote me a letter saying, ‘I’m so sorry, Larry. I can’t believe I said you couldn’t play there.’ It was kind of funny. I wish I had kept the letter. He was a real nice guy.”
Franz has found success at the Senior Olympics, earning many medals over the years. In May of next year, he’s scheduled to travel to Japan to compete.
He plans to keep traveling to the Open Championships, too.
“I’m going to stay here as long as I can bowl,” Franz said. “I’ll be here every year until I can’t do it anymore. I love this tournament. I hope to get 70 years in if I can.”
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.