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Richard Anthony Weber (December 23, 1929 – February 14, 2005) was a
ten-pin bowling Ten-pin bowling is a type of bowling in which a bowler rolls a bowling ball down a wood or synthetic lane toward ten pins positioned evenly in four rows in an equilateral triangle. The objective is to knock down all ten pins on the first rol ...
professional and a founding member of the
Professional Bowlers Association The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) is the major sanctioning body for the sport of professional ten-pin bowling in the United States. Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the PBA membership consists of over 3,000 members worldwide. Member ...
(PBA). Along with Don Carter, Weber is widely regarded as professional bowling's first superstar. He is one of only eight players in history to accumulate at least 30 career
PBA Tour The PBA Tour is the major professional tour for ten-pin bowling, operated by the Professional Bowlers Association. Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, over 3,000 members worldwide make up the PBA. While most of the PBA members are Regional profess ...
titles, and was also the first player to reach that plateau.


Bowling accomplishments

Weber made his first bowling headlines during the early 1950s, while working as a mailman in his native
Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...
. In 1955 he moved to
Florissant, Missouri Florissant () is a city in St. Louis County, Missouri, within Greater St. Louis. It is a middle class, second-ring northern suburb of St. Louis. Based on the 2020 United States census, the city had a total population of 52,533, making it the ...
to join the bowling team named the Budweisers (after the popular
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brand). The team established a long-standing 5-man ABC league series record on March 12, 1958 at the National Team Match Games at Floriss Lanes in
St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...
by toppling 3,858 pins with 138 strikes. This broke the previous ABC record for a 5-man team of 3,797 set in 1937. Weber himself rolled games of 258, 258 and 259 on the record-setting day for a 775 series. The Budweisers' record wasn't broken until 1994. In 1958, Weber became a founding member of the
Professional Bowlers Association The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) is the major sanctioning body for the sport of professional ten-pin bowling in the United States. Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the PBA membership consists of over 3,000 members worldwide. Member ...
, which he subsequently dominated. Weber captured his first PBA title in the second tournament of the inaugural 1959 season, and won three of the PBA's first four tournaments. He went on to win 10 of the first 23 PBA tournaments, including winning seven titles in the 13-event 1961 PBA season. Only
Mark Roth Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Fi ...
has won more titles in a PBA season with eight victories in 1978, but Roth's feat was accomplished over a 35-event season. During his career, Weber won titles in 30
PBA Tour The PBA Tour is the major professional tour for ten-pin bowling, operated by the Professional Bowlers Association. Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, over 3,000 members worldwide make up the PBA. While most of the PBA members are Regional profess ...
events, including four major titles. All of his major titles were earned in the BPAA All-Star, which later became the U.S. Open. Weber won this tournament four times in a five-year span (1962, '63, '65 and '66). He was twice runner-up in the Firestone Tournament of Champions (1965 and 1966). He earned his final PBA Tour title at age 47 in the 1977 King Louie Open. He went on to capture six PBA Senior Tour events, amassing a total of 36 PBA titles in both categories. He was PBA Player of the Year in 1965, and earned BPAA National Bowler of the Year honors three times (in 1961, 1963 and 1965). He was named an All-American ten times, and in 1999 was ranked #2 bowler of the 20th Century by ''Bowlers Journal''. In 2002 Weber also became the first player to win at least one PBA title in six decades (counting PBA Senior events). Despite already being 29 years old when the first PBA tournament took place in 1959, Weber managed to cash over $930,000 in career PBA earnings. He also enjoyed a decades-long sponsorship agreement with
AMF bowling AMF Bowling (AMF Bowling Worldwide) is a major operator of Bowling alley, bowling centers and major manufacturer of bowling equipment. The AMF brand continues in use by the following companies: * In the United States and Mexico, for the AMF Bo ...
. League bowling in the United States had its heyday in the 1960s and early 1970s, partly due to the influence of pros like Weber and Don Carter. Several PBA pros like
Johnny Petraglia John Petraglia Sr. (born March 3, 1947) is an American professional bowler. He is a member of the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA), where he won 14 PBA Tour titles. He has also won eight PBA Senior Tour titles. He is a member of both the P ...
claimed to be inspired by Dick Weber: "The main reason I went on Tour was Dick Weber. When I was 14, I saw him do an exhibition in Madison Square Garden. When I left I remember saying to myself: 'I know what I want to do now; I want to be like Dick Weber.'" Both Weber and his son
Pete Pete or Petes or ''variation'', may refer to: People * Pete (given name) * Pete (nickname) * Pete (surname) Fictional characters * Pete (Disney), a cartoon character in the ''Mickey Mouse'' universe * Pete the Pup (a.k.a. 'Petey'), a character ...
are members of the
United States Bowling Congress The United States Bowling Congress (USBC) is a sports membership organization dedicated to ten-pin bowling in the United States. It was formed in 2005 by a merger of the American Bowling Congress—the original codifier of all tenpin bowling stand ...
Hall of Fame and the
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. When Pete won his first PBA title in 1982, it marked the first time in history that a father and son had both won PBA Tour titles. The feat has since been matched by
Don Don, don or DON and variants may refer to: Places *County Donegal, Ireland, Chapman code DON *Don (river), a river in European Russia *Don River (disambiguation), several other rivers with the name *Don, Benin, a town in Benin *Don, Dang, a vill ...
and Jimmy Johnson,
Don Don, don or DON and variants may refer to: Places *County Donegal, Ireland, Chapman code DON *Don (river), a river in European Russia *Don River (disambiguation), several other rivers with the name *Don, Benin, a town in Benin *Don, Dang, a vill ...
and Eugene McCune, and
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and
Kyle Troup Kyle Troup (born June 11, 1991) is an American professional ten-pin bowler residing in Taylorsville, North Carolina. He uses the two-handed shovel-style delivery with a dominant right hand. Troup says he needed two hands when learning to throw ...
. In 1999, Dick Weber was inducted into the
St. Louis Walk of Fame The St. Louis Walk of Fame honors notable people from St. Louis, Missouri, who made contributions to the culture of the United States. All inductees were either born in the Greater St. Louis area or spent their formative or creative years ther ...
. The PBA ranked him 3rd on its 2008 list of "50 Greatest Players of the Last 50 Years." Only all-time titles leaders
Earl Anthony Earl Roderick Anthony (April 27, 1938 – August 14, 2001) was an American professional bowler who amassed records of 43 titles and six Player of the Year awards on the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour. For over two decades, his care ...
and
Walter Ray Williams, Jr. Walter Ray Williams Jr. (born October 6, 1959) is an American professional bowler and competitive horseshoes pitcher. He currently holds the record for all-time standard PBA Tour career titles (47) and total PBA earnings (over $4.9 million throu ...
ranked higher.


Personal

Weber was also known as a tireless ambassador of his sport, and rarely passed up an opportunity to promote it. One promotion had him bowling the highest (altitude) game ever in "Operation AstroBowl," which took place on a Boeing 707 on January 7, 1964. This was a joint campaign for
American Airlines American Airlines is a major airlines of the United States, major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the world when measured ...
' Cargo Service. The aircraft used was an all-cargo Boeing 707 with a single AMF lane installed in the main cargo hold. The flight was from New York to Dallas. Weber also appeared several times on ''
Late Show with David Letterman The ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the The Late Show (franchise), ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by ...
''. On February 14, 2005, Richard Anthony Weber died in Florissant, Missouri, at age 75. On the day of his death, Weber had just returned from a
United States Bowling Congress The United States Bowling Congress (USBC) is a sports membership organization dedicated to ten-pin bowling in the United States. It was formed in 2005 by a merger of the American Bowling Congress—the original codifier of all tenpin bowling stand ...
(USBC) meeting in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He showed no prior sign of ill-health but experienced serious breathing problems that evening and paramedics were unable to revive him. The underlying cause of death was not known, but was ultimately due to respiratory failure. Dick Weber was survived by his wife Juanita, one daughter, and three sons including the aforementioned Pete, also a professional bowler, and Richard Jr., who became a PBA employee and manager of the PBA's Midwest Region. Juanita, also an avid bowler who once won a state championship, died on April 13, 2020, at the age of 89.


Media presence and tributes

Weber also produced his own training video called ''Let's Bowl With Dick Weber''. Its blurb reads: ''"Voted 'one of the best bowlers that ever lived,' Weber has held the PBA presidency and 26 PBA titles in a career that spans four decades. Weber covers all the basics: bowling accessories, proper ball weight and fit, stance, follow through, delivery and release. He even gives tips for aiming and addresses some of the common faults of new bowlers. This unique, in-depth video brings the elements of high-precision sport into your living room so you can practice these tips at the alley and begin building your bowling skills."'' The
Weber Cup The Weber Cup, named after bowling legend Dick Weber, is a men's ten-pin bowling competition between Team Europe and Team USA. The teams competing over three days in a series of singles, doubles and team (baker) matches. The Weber Cup is equiv ...
, named after Dick, is a Ryder Cup-style event that pits European and American ten-pin bowlers against one another. It is held annually in
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. From 2008 to 2010, the PBA had a tour stop named the ''Dick Weber Open''. In 2011, the PBA named its all-new playoff series the ''Dick Weber PBA Playoffs''. On April 17, 2006, the inaugural Dick Weber Tribute was held in
St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
. Organized by Bill McCorkle, the event attracted many of bowling's top luminaries. The event was attended by over 20 members of the Weber family, representing four generations, as well as over 50 professional bowlers, including champions and members of the Hall of Fame. The highlight of the evening came when Pete Weber delivered a moving tribute. Many in the audience had never seen this side of him before. A documentary on the life and fame of Dick Weber was released on March 23, 2007, by Live Technologies, Inc. and Bill McCorkle. It consists of interviews with many current and former professional bowlers, family, and sportscasters as well as footage covering Weber's 60-year history as a professional athlete. Weber's legacy also lives on through the Bowling Proprietors Association of America (BPAA), which began giving out an annual BPAA Dick Weber Bowling Ambassador award in 2006 (won that year by Dick Ritger). The most recent award winner was
Kyle Troup Kyle Troup (born June 11, 1991) is an American professional ten-pin bowler residing in Taylorsville, North Carolina. He uses the two-handed shovel-style delivery with a dominant right hand. Troup says he needed two hands when learning to throw ...
in 2022.


References


External links


St. Louis Walk of Fame - Dick Weber page
*
Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) homepageDick Weber Documentary Homepage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weber, Dick 1929 births 2005 deaths Deaths from respiratory failure American ten-pin bowling players People from St. Louis County, Missouri Bowling broadcasters