Johnny Petraglia was born March 3, 1947 in Brooklyn, NY, and now hails from Manalapan, NJ. He is best known as a left-handed bowler and member of the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA), where he won 14 tour titles. He has also won five Senior PBA titles.

Petraglia joined the PBA in 1965, and won his first tour title in 1966. In 1967-68, Petraglia left the PBA Tour after being called to duty for the US war effort in Vietnam. He served as an Army Spec 5 in Long Binh and Bien Hoa.

His best season as a pro came in 1971, when he won five titles in all. That year included consecutive wins in the last three tournaments of the season -- culminated by a major championship in the Firestone Tournament of Champions. Petraglia would win two more majors: the 1977 BPAA U.S. Open and 1980 PBA National Championship, making him one of only five players to earn the PBA career "Triple Crown." (Billy Hardwick, Mike Aulby, Pete Weber and Norm Duke are the others.) The 1980 event featured one of the more dramatic final matches in major tournament history, as Petraglia rolled four consecutive strikes in the 9th and 10th frames to secure the victory.

In 1994, after many figured his regular tour career was over, the 47-year old Petraglia rolled the PBA's seventh televised perfect 300 game to defeat Walter Ray Williams, 300-194. He did not, however, go on to win the title match.

In the Media

In a sport where most bowlers frequently change equipment affiliations, Petraglia has remained associated with Brunswick Corporation since 1971. Numerous Brunswick bowling balls and other products have borne his name over the years. There was also a recent PBA Tour stop named after him -- The Johnny Petraglia Open in North Brunswick, NJ.

Awards and Recognition

• Inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame in 1982
• Served three terms as PBA President (1979-80, 1989-90 and 1997-98)

References