Sandra Jo Shiery, Mark Williams elected to USBC Hall of Fame
February 02, 2021
ARLINGTON, Texas - Sandra Jo Shiery of Coldwater, Michigan, and Mark Williams of Beaumont, Texas, have been elected to the United States Bowling Congress Hall of Fame in the Superior Performance category.
Shiery and Williams were on the ballot of five men and two women voted on by a national panel of USBC Hall of Fame members, veteran bowling writers and USBC Board members.
Though both fell short of reaching the required 70% of the votes cast, the USBC Hall of Fame Committee had the opportunity to select them for induction, and they will complete the four-person 2021 USBC Hall of Fame class.
In late October, husband and wife Bill and Barbara Chrisman of Pleasant View, Utah, the co-founders of Storm Products, Inc., were elected by the committee in the Meritorious Service category. They will be the seventh husband and wife overall to be inducted into the USBC Hall of Fame.
Traditionally, the USBC Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is part of the annual USBC Convention. With the 2021 Convention set to be held virtually, it was decided that the 2020 and 2021 USBC Hall of Fame inductees would be honored in person during the 2022 Convention.
Shiery, a 56-year-old right-hander, is a nine-time Professional Women's Bowling Association Tour champion, which includes one major victory at the 1997 USBC Queens. She also had a runner-up finish at the Queens (1989) and three top-five performances at the U.S. Women's Open.
One additional win for Shiery in the PWBA spotlight came in 1989, when she won the South Bend Classic as a non-member.
At USBC's premier event for female members, the storied USBC Women's Championships, the Coldwater USBC and Michigan State USBC Hall of Famer collected eight top-10 finishes, including back-to-back third-place efforts in the team event in 1995 and 1996.
Prior to embarking on her successful professional career, Shiery spent a year on Team USA.
In 1987, she had the opportunity to represent the United States at the International Bowling Federation World Championships, where she earned gold medals in team and all-events and a bronze medal in trios. A Team USA woman would not win the all-events crown again until 2013.
Shiery's stint on Team USA also included a trip to the Lee Evans Tournament of the Americas, which resulted in a five-medal performance - three gold (mixed team, all-events, national all-events) and two bronze (singles, doubles).
After her pro career ended, Shiery found success leading the next generation of stars as the coach of the Coldwater High School girls bowling team, which she helped to three consecutive state championships from 2005-2007.
Shiery's son, Alec Keplinger, was a Junior Gold Championships winner in 2019 and is a member of Junior Team USA for the second consecutive year.
Williams, a 63-year-old right-hander and Professional Bowlers Association Hall of Famer (1999), owns seven PBA Tour titles, including three majors - the PBA Tournament of Champions (1985 and 1988) and the PBA Touring Players Championship (1986). He also has logged a runner-up finish at the USBC Masters and two top-10 finishes at the U.S. Open.
His presence in the PBA spans more than four decades, and his success also includes three PBA50 Tour titles, with the most recent being the 2010 Senior U.S. Open.
In 2018, Williams celebrated turning 60 with a second-place finish at the Super Senior Classic. A year later, he picked up his first PBA60 title. He also owns nearly two dozen wins in PBA/PBA50 regional competition.
In addition to Williams, the men's national ballot included Dave Ferraro of Kingston, New York; Wes Malott of Pflugerville, Texas; Randy Pedersen of Orlando, Florida; and Mike Scroggins of Amarillo, Texas.
Tammy Turner of West Palm Beach, Florida, joined Shiery on the women's ballot.
Along with the 2021 inductees, the six members of the 2020 USBC Hall of Fame class also are awaiting their time in the spotlight.
The six bowlers were slated for induction in 2020, before COVID-19 forced the cancellation of the 2020 USBC Convention in Las Vegas, along with all supporting activities and events.
The 2020 class includes Marianne DiRupo and Patrick Allen in the Superior Performance category, Patrick Healey Jr. (USBC Outstanding Performance), Bob Learn Jr. (Veterans) and Andrew Cain and Jim Zebehazy (both in Meritorious Service).
Through 2019, there were 432 members of the USBC Hall of Fame - 223 in Superior Performance, 120 in Meritorious Service, 51 in Veterans, 22 in Pioneer and 16 in Outstanding USBC Performance.
The USBC Hall of Fame was created in 2005 by merging the former American Bowling Congress and Women's International Bowling Congress Halls of Fame.
Shiery and Williams were on the ballot of five men and two women voted on by a national panel of USBC Hall of Fame members, veteran bowling writers and USBC Board members.
Though both fell short of reaching the required 70% of the votes cast, the USBC Hall of Fame Committee had the opportunity to select them for induction, and they will complete the four-person 2021 USBC Hall of Fame class.
In late October, husband and wife Bill and Barbara Chrisman of Pleasant View, Utah, the co-founders of Storm Products, Inc., were elected by the committee in the Meritorious Service category. They will be the seventh husband and wife overall to be inducted into the USBC Hall of Fame.
Traditionally, the USBC Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is part of the annual USBC Convention. With the 2021 Convention set to be held virtually, it was decided that the 2020 and 2021 USBC Hall of Fame inductees would be honored in person during the 2022 Convention.
Shiery, a 56-year-old right-hander, is a nine-time Professional Women's Bowling Association Tour champion, which includes one major victory at the 1997 USBC Queens. She also had a runner-up finish at the Queens (1989) and three top-five performances at the U.S. Women's Open.One additional win for Shiery in the PWBA spotlight came in 1989, when she won the South Bend Classic as a non-member.
At USBC's premier event for female members, the storied USBC Women's Championships, the Coldwater USBC and Michigan State USBC Hall of Famer collected eight top-10 finishes, including back-to-back third-place efforts in the team event in 1995 and 1996.
Prior to embarking on her successful professional career, Shiery spent a year on Team USA.
In 1987, she had the opportunity to represent the United States at the International Bowling Federation World Championships, where she earned gold medals in team and all-events and a bronze medal in trios. A Team USA woman would not win the all-events crown again until 2013.
Shiery's stint on Team USA also included a trip to the Lee Evans Tournament of the Americas, which resulted in a five-medal performance - three gold (mixed team, all-events, national all-events) and two bronze (singles, doubles).
After her pro career ended, Shiery found success leading the next generation of stars as the coach of the Coldwater High School girls bowling team, which she helped to three consecutive state championships from 2005-2007.
Shiery's son, Alec Keplinger, was a Junior Gold Championships winner in 2019 and is a member of Junior Team USA for the second consecutive year.
Williams, a 63-year-old right-hander and Professional Bowlers Association Hall of Famer (1999), owns seven PBA Tour titles, including three majors - the PBA Tournament of Champions (1985 and 1988) and the PBA Touring Players Championship (1986). He also has logged a runner-up finish at the USBC Masters and two top-10 finishes at the U.S. Open.His presence in the PBA spans more than four decades, and his success also includes three PBA50 Tour titles, with the most recent being the 2010 Senior U.S. Open.
In 2018, Williams celebrated turning 60 with a second-place finish at the Super Senior Classic. A year later, he picked up his first PBA60 title. He also owns nearly two dozen wins in PBA/PBA50 regional competition.
In addition to Williams, the men's national ballot included Dave Ferraro of Kingston, New York; Wes Malott of Pflugerville, Texas; Randy Pedersen of Orlando, Florida; and Mike Scroggins of Amarillo, Texas.
Tammy Turner of West Palm Beach, Florida, joined Shiery on the women's ballot.
Along with the 2021 inductees, the six members of the 2020 USBC Hall of Fame class also are awaiting their time in the spotlight.
The six bowlers were slated for induction in 2020, before COVID-19 forced the cancellation of the 2020 USBC Convention in Las Vegas, along with all supporting activities and events.
The 2020 class includes Marianne DiRupo and Patrick Allen in the Superior Performance category, Patrick Healey Jr. (USBC Outstanding Performance), Bob Learn Jr. (Veterans) and Andrew Cain and Jim Zebehazy (both in Meritorious Service).
Through 2019, there were 432 members of the USBC Hall of Fame - 223 in Superior Performance, 120 in Meritorious Service, 51 in Veterans, 22 in Pioneer and 16 in Outstanding USBC Performance.
The USBC Hall of Fame was created in 2005 by merging the former American Bowling Congress and Women's International Bowling Congress Halls of Fame.