RENO, Nev. - Bob Brissette and Robert Costew both hail from the state of Michigan, and this week, they also shared the spotlight at the National Bowling Stadium as they celebrated 50 years of participation at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships.

Brissette, of Petersburg, Mich., became the 159th bowler in USBC Open Championships history to make 50 appearances when he made the milestone march down Center Aisle on Thursday. Costew, a Clinton Township, Mich., resident, added his name to the elite list Friday afternoon.

The 76-year-old Brissette started his tournament career at the 1961 event in Detroit and hasn't missed a tournament since 1967.

He has put together some solid performances throughout his tournament career but vividly recalls the 1975 Open Championships in Dayton, Ohio, when his Widman Motorcycle team from St. Louis took the Regular Team lead on Opening Day and held it until the next-to-last day. They ended up second in both Regular Team and Regular All-Events.

"We took the lead opening night and lost it on the next-to-last day," said Brissette, who bowls regularly at Monroe Sports Center in Monroe, Mich., and Jug's Bowling Center in Toledo, Ohio. "We shot the highest opening series ever at the time, and we led the tournament for the longest time. Over the years, I've had some pretty good scores that I'm proud of and have had a lot of cashes, so I have nothing to complain about."

The Greater Toledo Bowling Association Hall of Famer has been looking forward to making his ceremonial trip down Center Aisle and had several family members in attendance. He plans to keep the annual tradition going for as long as he can.

"I've been looking forward to this since last year," said Brissette, who has knocked down 87,346 pins in his Open Championships career for a lifetime average of 194.1. "Coming down the aisle after they opened the curtains was really a great experience, especially with my family there. I loved every minute of it. I look forward to the tournament every year. My goal is to make it one year at a time. If I'm still walking, crawling and living, I'll be at the tournament."

Costew started his tournament career at the 1963 event in Buffalo, N.Y. He missed the following year in Oakland, Calif., but has made every tournament since and is looking forward to participating in the Open Championships for 50 consecutive years in 2014.

"Some of the league bowlers put a couple of teams together, and we started in Buffalo," said Costew who has knocked down 80,503 pins in his tournament career for a lifetime average of 178.9. "Next year was Oakland, and I wasn't in the position to go, but now, here I am. You get the bug after a while. I want to get next year because that would be 50 consecutive years."

The 71-year-old right-hander set his sights on 50 years after making his 25th Open Championships tournament appearance. He had several family members cheering him on from the stands at the NBS. Costew always enjoyed the opportunity to visit different parts of country while traveling to the event.

"I figured that after I reached one milestone, I should see if I could get to the bigger one," Costew said. "It was awesome. I'm not usually an outgoing person, but it was a little emotional. I had a couple of family members to share the occasion with, so it's something I'll treasure. I think what initially got me going was traveling to the different cities. I went to cities I would have never been to, so it was a nice introduction to other parts of the country."

Brissette finished up his 2013 event with 632 in doubles, 529 in team and 528 in singles for a 1,689 all-events total. Costew had 484 in team, 407 in doubles and 405 in singles for a 1,296 total.

Each bowler received a plaque, chevron and diamond lapel pin to recognize the achievement.

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