USBC Hall of Famer Bill Tucker dies at age 92
ARLINGTON, Texas – Bill Tucker, who was inducted into the United States Bowling Congress Hall of Fame in 1988 in the Veterans category, died Friday at his home in Gilbert, Arizona. He was 92.
Tucker, who started his bowling career in the 1950s in St. Louis, where he was a member of the United Van Lines bowling team, captured two doubles titles at the USBC Open Championships, three titles on the Professional Bowlers Association Tour, and won the 1961 Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America (BPAA) All-Star tournament.
His first doubles title came at the 1958 Open Championships with Jim Vrenick. Tucker led the way with a 731 set as the duo posted a pinfall total of 1,414.
Ten years later, Tucker rolled a 300 game to lead he and Hall of Famer Don Johnson to the Classic Doubles title at the Open Championships. Tucker would add a 300 game in the 1971 USBC Masters finals to become the first person to roll two perfect games on the Open Championships lanes.
He finished fourth in singles in the 1970 Open Championships and had two third-place finishes in Classic Team (1973, 1974) with the Chester Lio Investments team. He also posted a seventh-place finish in Classic All-Events in 1962 and was eighth in All-Events in 1958.
In the 100-game tournament BPAA All-Star tournament held in San Bernardino, California, in 1961, he outdistanced runner-up Dick Weber, 13,924 to 13,561, in total pinfall. On the PBA Tour, Tucker won the 1965 San Jose PBA Open, the 1967 El Paso Optimists Club Open and 1967 Lions Club Open in New Orleans.
He continued to bowl and worked in his pro shop until he officially retired in late 2014 and moved to Arizona. A long-time resident of Huntington Woods, Michigan, Tucker was born in Perryville, Missouri, in 1926. He would serve in the Army during World War II.
Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 13, at 1:30 p.m. at the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona, located at 23029 N. Cave Creek Road, Phoenix, 85024.
Bill Tucker completes a 300 game in Classic Doubles at the 1968 Open Championships.