2011 PBA Tournament
Of Champions Storylines

The Professional Bowlers Association’s greatest tradition will return to Red Rock Lanes in Las Vegas Jan. 16-22 with a record $1 million prize fund. The Tournament of Champions is filled with great storylines.

Record prize fund: The $1 million prize fund and $250,000 first prize are the richest prizes ever paid for in a professional bowling event.

The PBA returns to ABC Television: The Tournament of Champions finals will return to ABC on Saturday, Jan. 22, at 2:30 p.m. Eastern, for the first time since 1997. The Pro Bowlers Tour aired for 36 consecutive years on ABC as a lead-in to the old Wide World of Sports telecasts. The 2011 TOC telecast will be the first PBA event ever to air in high-definition.

Hall of Famer Nelson Burton Jr. to help celebrate return to ABC: PBA Hall of Famer Nelson Burton Jr., who teamed with broadcasting great Chris Schenkel for 23 seasons (1975-97) on Pro Bowlers Tour telecasts on ABC, will be on a part of the TOC telecast, to help celebrate the PBA’s return to ABC. Schenkel and Burton became one of the most recognizable broadcast duos in sports.

Kelly Kulick will return to defend her Tournament of Champions title: Kelly Kulick of Union, N.J., made sports history in 2010 by becoming the first woman ever to win a PBA Tour event. Kulick defeated top qualifier Chris Barnes of Double Oak, Texas, 265-195, to win a $40,000 first prize and a two-year exhibition to bowl on the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour. This year, seven other women are entered in the event.

Walter Ray Williams Jr. still trying for a TOC title: Walter Ray Williams Jr. has accomplished nearly everything there is to accomplish in professional bowling except winning the Tournament of Champions. The all-time leader in titles (47) is an eight-time Player of the Year including winning that honor last season at age 50. A TOC title would make Williams the third player in history to complete the PBA “Grand Slam” (titles in the Tournament of Champions, U.S. Open, PBA World Championship and USBC Masters). Mike Aulby and Norm Duke are the only players who have completed the Grand Slam.

Jason Couch to try for record fourth Tournament of Champions title: Jason Couch of Clermont, Fla., is the only bowler to win the Tournament of Champions in three consecutive years (1999, 2000 and 2002; the event was not conducted in 2001). The only other bowler to win the classic three times is retired PBA Hall of Famer Mike Durbin who won in 1972, 1982 and 1984.



14 Tournament of Champions past winners are entered: Past TOC champions entered are Kelly Kulick (2010), Patrick Allen (2009), Chris Barnes (2006), Jason Couch (1999, 2000 and 2002), Dave D’Entremont (1996), Norm Duke (1994), Bryan Goebel (1998), Michael Haugen Jr. (2008), Steve Jaros (2005), Tommy Jones (2007), Johnny Petraglia (1971), Wayne Webb (1980), Pete Weber (1987) and Mark Williams (1985 and 1988).



11 PBA Hall of Famers in TOC field: PBA Hall of Famers who will be bowling in the TOC include Tom Baker, Parker Bohn III, Norm Duke, Amleto Monacelli, Johnny Petraglia, Carmen Salvino, Brian Voss, Wayne Webb, Pete Weber, Walter Ray Williams Jr., and Mark Williams.



First father/daughter duo ever to compete in Tournament of Champions: Retired three-time Tour titlist Mike Miller and his daughter Adrienne of Albuquerque are the first father/daughter combination ever to enter the Tournament of Champions. Adrienne became eligible to enter the TOC by winning a regional title in November in Las Vegas.


Las Vegas has emerged as the “bowling capital” of the world: Over the past 10 years, Las Vegas has risen to fifth place in terms of United States bowling population, with 17,520 card-carrying certified league bowlers. And southern Nevada’s 16 bowling centers with 724 lane beds have made the Las Vegas area the world’s No. 1 bowling tourism destination. Every year, thousands of bowlers from around the world travel to Las Vegas for amateur and professional bowling competitions. During PBA Tournament of Champions week, the eyes of the bowling world will be focused on Las Vegas.

Bowling industry leaders visit Las Vegas: to help celebrate the richest event in PBA history, the Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America will host its mid-winter Bowling Summit at Red Rock Resort Jan. 20-22. More than 200 leaders from throughout the bowling industry will not only attend to their own business affairs, but attend the TOC, ABC finals and post-event PBA Hall of Fame dinner.

PBA legend Carmen Salvino is oldest champion entered: Chicago’s Carmen Salvino, a 17-time PBA Tour titlist and the only player in the field who bowled in the first TOC in Indianapolis in 1962, is the oldest player in the field. The PBA charter member celebrated his 77th birthday in November.

Four Las Vegas area bowlers are entered: PBA Regional title winner Anthony Liene, Las Vegas; PBA Senior Regional titlist Howard Partell, Las Vegas, and PBA Senior Tour champions Kerry Painter, Henderson, and Ron Winger, Las Vegas, will be in the Tournament of Champions field.

Bowling for Soup to provide TOC “Halftime Entertainment:” The Tournament of Champions will have its version of “Super Bowl” halftime entertainment when Grammy-nominated rock band Bowling For Soup performs during the Jan. 22 ABC finals telecast. Musical entertainment has been a part of many of bowling’s major events over the years. Jazz great Pete Fountain once played during a TOC telecast in the 1970s.

PBA Hall of Fame induction ceremonies to cap the week: Following the ABC finals of the TOC on Saturday afternoon, the PBA and Red Rock Resort will host the 2011 PBA Hall of Fame induction ceremonies. Thirteen-time PBA Tour winner and current ESPN color analyst Randy Pedersen, 11-time PBA Senior Tour winner Dale Eagle, and PBA lane maintenance innovator Len Nicholson will be inducted.

Largest field of PBA champions to compete: The 2011 Tournament of Champions will feature the largest field of PBA title-winners ever. More than 170 men and women who have won PBA National Tour, Senior Tour, PBA Regional or PBA Women’s Series titles have been invited to participate in the historic event.