USBC Hall of Famer Gordy Baer joins 100,000-Pin Club at 2018 USBC Open Championships
April 28, 2018
By Matt Cannizzaro and Christine Nichols
USBC Communications
Video recap
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - More than four decades ago, a young Gordy Baer walked onto the streets of downtown Syracuse with his head held high after a memorable team performance on the lanes at the 1973 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships.
This week, the 78-year-old Tinley Park, Illinois, resident was back in the Salt City celebrating an individual milestone on the biggest stage in bowling, where he became the 21st bowler in history to knock down 100,000 pins at the USBC Open Championships.
Baer entered the 2018 event needing 480 pins to reach the milestone, but opening games of 155 and 154 on Thursday necessitated a final-game rally from the spry right-hander.
After starting the finale with a 5-10 split he was unable to convert, he promptly spared in his next frame and threw clutch strikes to get back on pace.
In the sixth frame, he chopped the 4 pin off the 4-8 combination for another open, but strikes in the seventh and eighth frames allowed him to surge past the 100,000-pin mark with another powerful strike in the ninth frame. Baer ended with a 214 game and 523 series.
"I knew I had to have a big game after my first two, and I wanted to achieve this goal in the team event," Baer said. "It felt good to finally get there. I was nervous and shaking and making poor shots. I knew going into the ninth frame I needed good count, and it really wasn't a good shot, but it carried."
Baer first found the spotlight in Syracuse as a Team All-Events champion in 1973, alongside Al Cohn, Joe Trombetta, Dave Norton and Bill Slateritz. He went on to add wins in Regular Team and Team All-Events in 1979. Baer's continued success earned him induction into the USBC Hall of Fame in 1987.
Baer's Open Championships career began at the 1959 event in St. Louis, and his appearance at the 2018 edition marked his 56th year of participation.
In addition to adding to his pinfall total each year, Baer made a lot of memories and even more friends along the way. He traveled to Syracuse this year with quite a few of those friends, family members and teammates, who all were excited to witness this milestone.
"There were a lot of good times and a lot of good teams, and I have bowled with a lot of great friends," Baer said. "This has been a long but exciting trip. I realized four or five years ago I had a chance to do it, and when I bowled poorly last year, I knew this was my year."
Baer has numerous accolades on his bowling resume, and it's nearly impossible to rank them, as they're all special in different ways.
"I have done something not many people can say they have achieved, and this is just as special as my three Eagles, my hall of fame memberships and my 56 years competing in the Open Championships."
Syracuse has treated Baer well in the past and always will have a special place in his heart. With 100,000 pins on the horizon, he was eager to get back to the city that already meant so much to him.
"I was looking forward to this for quite a while now, even before the tournament started," Baer said. "I was watching them build it and everything, and I said 'OK, I am going to be there, and we are going to have fun.'"
Baer finished his 56th Open Championships with 478 in singles and 470 in doubles for a 1,471 all-events total. In his career, he has knocked down 100,991 pins for a career average of 200.3.
Joseph Pursel Jr. of Hellertown, Pennsylvania, also is expected to join the 100,000-Pin Club this year in Syracuse. He is one of three bowlers scheduled to celebrate 60 years of participation in 2018, and he is 294 pins shy of 100,000. He'll take the lanes at the Oncenter Convention Center in late June.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open Championships Facebook page.
USBC Communications
Video recap
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - More than four decades ago, a young Gordy Baer walked onto the streets of downtown Syracuse with his head held high after a memorable team performance on the lanes at the 1973 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships.
This week, the 78-year-old Tinley Park, Illinois, resident was back in the Salt City celebrating an individual milestone on the biggest stage in bowling, where he became the 21st bowler in history to knock down 100,000 pins at the USBC Open Championships.
Baer entered the 2018 event needing 480 pins to reach the milestone, but opening games of 155 and 154 on Thursday necessitated a final-game rally from the spry right-hander.
After starting the finale with a 5-10 split he was unable to convert, he promptly spared in his next frame and threw clutch strikes to get back on pace.
In the sixth frame, he chopped the 4 pin off the 4-8 combination for another open, but strikes in the seventh and eighth frames allowed him to surge past the 100,000-pin mark with another powerful strike in the ninth frame. Baer ended with a 214 game and 523 series.
"I knew I had to have a big game after my first two, and I wanted to achieve this goal in the team event," Baer said. "It felt good to finally get there. I was nervous and shaking and making poor shots. I knew going into the ninth frame I needed good count, and it really wasn't a good shot, but it carried."
Baer first found the spotlight in Syracuse as a Team All-Events champion in 1973, alongside Al Cohn, Joe Trombetta, Dave Norton and Bill Slateritz. He went on to add wins in Regular Team and Team All-Events in 1979. Baer's continued success earned him induction into the USBC Hall of Fame in 1987.Baer's Open Championships career began at the 1959 event in St. Louis, and his appearance at the 2018 edition marked his 56th year of participation.
In addition to adding to his pinfall total each year, Baer made a lot of memories and even more friends along the way. He traveled to Syracuse this year with quite a few of those friends, family members and teammates, who all were excited to witness this milestone.
"There were a lot of good times and a lot of good teams, and I have bowled with a lot of great friends," Baer said. "This has been a long but exciting trip. I realized four or five years ago I had a chance to do it, and when I bowled poorly last year, I knew this was my year."
Baer has numerous accolades on his bowling resume, and it's nearly impossible to rank them, as they're all special in different ways.
"I have done something not many people can say they have achieved, and this is just as special as my three Eagles, my hall of fame memberships and my 56 years competing in the Open Championships."
Syracuse has treated Baer well in the past and always will have a special place in his heart. With 100,000 pins on the horizon, he was eager to get back to the city that already meant so much to him.
"I was looking forward to this for quite a while now, even before the tournament started," Baer said. "I was watching them build it and everything, and I said 'OK, I am going to be there, and we are going to have fun.'"
Baer finished his 56th Open Championships with 478 in singles and 470 in doubles for a 1,471 all-events total. In his career, he has knocked down 100,991 pins for a career average of 200.3.
Joseph Pursel Jr. of Hellertown, Pennsylvania, also is expected to join the 100,000-Pin Club this year in Syracuse. He is one of three bowlers scheduled to celebrate 60 years of participation in 2018, and he is 294 pins shy of 100,000. He'll take the lanes at the Oncenter Convention Center in late June.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open Championships Facebook page.