USBC Hall of Famer Rod Toft dies at age 79

ARLINGTON, Texas – The United States Bowling Congress recently learned of the death of USBC Hall of Famer Rod Toft, of Lake Elmo, Minnesota, at the age of 79. According to his family, Toft passed away peacefully on Oct. 23 from complications due to Alzheimer’s.

Toft was born on April 30, 1945, in St. Paul, Minnesota, the son of the late Kresten (Chris) and Marietta Toft. He is survived by his wife Judy, sister Linda (Toft) Matthias, children Ron (Karla) Toft, Erika (Ben) Fisher, Jen (Nate) Kowalsky and grandchildren Anna Fisher, Ellie Fisher, Will Kowalsky, Lauren Kowalsky, Paige Kowalsky and Markus Toft.

Toft had a passion for all sports but especially bowling. It was his love and dedication to the sport that landed him in the USBC Hall of Fame in 1991 as an inductee in the Superior Performance category.

Toft shined at the USBC Open Championships, collecting a total of four eagles. He was the 1981 All-Events champion at the event in Memphis, Tennessee. Toft shot 650 in team, 727 in doubles and 730 in singles for a winning total of 2,107.

At the 1984 event in Reno, Nevada, Toft captained his Minnesota Loons 1 team to the Regular Team and Team All-Events titles. That team made it back-to-back Team All-Events victories by capturing the 1985 event in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Other top-five Open Championships finishes for Toft included a runner-up effort in Regular All-Events in 1984, a third-place finish in Regular Singles in 1977 and a fourth-place finish that same year in Regular All-Events.

Toft also found success in international play, winning four titles in the 1979 Tournament of the Americas and two at the same event in 1984. He finished first in the USA Team Trials in 1983 and was a member of Team USA that same year. He won a silver medal in the five-player event of the 1983 FIQ World Tournament in Caracas, Venezuela, and also earned one gold and two silver medals at the 1983 Pan-Am Games.

A celebration of life for Toft will be held on Friday, Nov. 15, at Bradshaw Funeral Home, 2800 Curve Crest Blvd, in Stillwater, Minnesota. Visitation will be from 1-3 p.m. with a short service to follow. Private burial will be held at a later date.