Pro Bowlers Tour - 1980 Fair Lanes Open highlights

Final frames of the final match of this event, between #1 seed Nelson Burton, Jr. and #3 seed Matt Surina, who defeated Teata Semiz and Mike Aulby to reach the championship match.

As Burton explains in the opening, the bowling center served as both a tenpins and duckpins bowling center. Given the unusual nature of how these lanes were built, it's not surprising that a down-and-in player would beat someone who played more break. And I remember those little plastic thingees that Surina is wearing here on his right index finger. They kind of came and went pretty quickly.

Chris Schenkel on play-by-play. Dick Weber on color. Fair Lanes University Lanes, Adelphi, MD. March 8, 1980.

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• PBA
• Pro Bowlers Tour
• bowling
• Nelson Burton
• Matt Surina
• Schenkel
• Dick Weber
• classic tv

[20alphabet]

Though I don't know who you are, what your age might be, or the area in which you call home, I always enjoy your posted videos. Your understanding of bowling is evident in your collection. Thanks for sharing with us!

[BowlingOldies]

@20alphabet You're very kind. I was in my mid 20s in the late '70s and for a few short years back then was a PBA member. But I had a solid career in broadcasting and there wasn't much money in bowling, so I never pursued bowling as a career. Today I'm a voice actor (I voice radio and television commercials and promos) and work from my home studio in the metro Atlanta area. When I was actively bowling, I would bowl a couple hundred games a week. Haven't bowled in years. Now I play golf.

[probowler94]

yeah, but the rack touched it before it actually fell

[bowler811]

I remember the scores were always brutal at this house. If I remeber right, one of the players could average barely over 200 and make the top 24. Straighter players like Bo Burton, Dave Soutar, etc would do well there. Great post, would love to see more old Fair Lanes Open footage. Thanks for posting.

[20alphabet]

A couple hundred games a week (with a 16Lb ball that didn't do the work for you) was typical for a pro back then. Also, you needed 2 seasons of 190 avg or over to become a member as I recall.

[cr2822]

I bowled in the pro-am for this very stop as a kid. Also bowled there on a youth travel league. That was a tough house to score in back then.

[chuckers40]

I grew up at F/L University bowling the youth leagues. I used to watch the Fair Lanes Open when I was a kid. The Fair Lanes Open always alternated between DC and Baltimore. The Baltimore Centers were Towson, Woodlawn, Kings Point. The DC centers were: Springield, University, and Capital Plaza.

[jayjarnold]

Actually, it was called the "Super Touch." Wayne Webb in Sacramento told me last Saturday that he and Petraglia recently conversed and wondered whatever became of that gadget. lol!

[dcbandnerd]

I won my first and only Duckpin Bowling Tournament at University Lanes. Thank you for this upload!

[jayjarnold]

The plastic thingee you mentioned in the info was what I used in 1980 and '81, before it broke in two from the stress of continual use....it was a Johnny Petraglia creation, and it supposedly kept the index finger from potentially adding some hook to the ball. I want to say it was called the "Super-Tip."

[tw5569]

The 1980 FL Open was contested at FL University. It was a 48 lane center that originally had duckpins on lanes 1-16 and 17-48 was tenpins. I was 11 y/o but I remember Bo nailing 10 all week with a Yellow Dot (like everybody else). The TV pair... 33 always hooked more than 34. ALWAYS. The scores were lower because this centers natural track was 15. The tour always made them play opposite of what the house played. Lane machines were the Original A1 machines. FL University closed in Feb 2001.

[moenemdown15]

Great upload!