Tom Baker (born September 12, 1954,

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

) is a professional bowler in 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 ...

and a member of the PBA and USBC Halls of Fame. He has won 10 titles on the regular

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 ...

(including one major), and 12 more on the PBA50 Tour (formerly PBA Senior Tour). He currently resides in

King, North Carolina King is a city in Stokes and Forsyth counties, North Carolina, United States. The population was 7,096 at the 2020 census. King is part of the Piedmont Triad metropolitan area, located 15 miles northwest of Winston-Salem. The city has two larg ...

PBA career

After winning his first title in 1980, Baker had an outstanding 1981 season, winning three titles and over $103,000 that year. By 1986, he had won 7 PBA titles before going on a 10-year winless streak, partially due to recurring wrist injuries. In 1996, he returned to the winner's circle at the AC-Delco Classic, and won again in 1997 in

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the 9th largest city and 15th largest municipality in Pe ...

. After another 7-year drought, he shocked the bowling world by winning the 2004

PBA World Championship The PBA World Championship is one of five major PBA (Professional Bowlers Association) bowling events. It is one of three PBA Tour major events that are open only to PBA members. (The U.S. Open and USBC Masters allow qualifying amateurs to enter.) ...

at age 49. At the time, Baker was the oldest player to win a PBA major, though that mark has since been surpassed by

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 ...

and Pete Weber, both of whom won majors at age 50. The event's final round was held in an arena setting in

Ypsilanti, Michigan Ypsilanti (), commonly shortened to Ypsi, is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 20,648. The city is bounded to the north by Superior Township and on the west, south, and ...

, and paid a first prize of $120,000 more than Baker had ever won in an entire season previously. Baker has been a standout on the PBA50 Tour since joining in 2005, winning four PBA50 major titles and eight PBA50 standard tournaments, while continuing to compete on the regular tour through 2009. His 12 total PBA50 titles rank fourth all-time, behind

(15),

John Handegard John Handegard (born May 18, 1938) is a retired professional ten-pin bowler who has spent time on both the PBA Tour The PBA Tour is the major professional tour for ten-pin bowling, operated by the Professional Bowlers Association. Headquartered i ...

(14) and Pete Weber (13). He is one of only five bowlers in history (with Walter Ray Williams Jr., Pete Weber,

Amleto Monacelli Amleto Monacelli (born 27 August 1961) is a Venezuelan professional bowler and a member of the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA). He has amassed 20 titles on the PBA Tour, making him one of only 16 players in history to accumulate at least 2 ...

and

Parker Bohn III Parker Morse Bohn III (born July 13, 1963) is a left-handed American professional bowler. He has been a member of the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) since 1984, and is a member of the PBA and USBC Halls of Fame. Bohn is one of only eigh ...

) to have won at least 10 titles on both the standard PBA Tour and the PBA50 Tour. Baker was named Senior Rookie of the Year and Senior Player of the Year in 2005, becoming the first player to earn both honors in a single season. (

Norm Duke Norm Duke (born March 25, 1964) is an American professional bowler currently competing on the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour and the PBA50 Tour. He has won 40 titles on the PBA Tour, including seven major championships, and another ...

and Tom Hess have since matched Baker's feat.) He won Senior Player of the Year honors again in 2006 and 2007, an unprecedented streak in the history of the PBA Senior Tour. Baker also owns 14

PBA Regional Tour The PBA Regional Tour is a series of "mini tours", run by the Professional Bowlers Association, spanning across seven regions within the United States. The Tour allows PBA members and qualifying non-member amateurs to compete in weekend events. The ...

titles and 20 PBA50 Regional titles. In the 2008-09 season, Baker was the oldest player in the "exempt" field on the Lumber Liquidators

. He earned an exemption through that season with his 2004 World Championship victory, but generally split his time between regular and senior tour events. He did not qualify nor attempt to regain his exemption for the 2009-10 regular tour. Baker was ranked #42 on the PBA's 2008 list of "50 Greatest Players of the Last 50 Years."

PBA Tour titles

Major championships in bold type. # 1980 Northern California Open (

Fremont, California Fremont is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. Located in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, Bay Area, Fremont has a population of 230,504 as of 2020, making it the fourth List of cities and towns in the San Fra ...

) # 1981 Pennzoil Open (

Torrance, California Torrance is a city in the Los Angeles metropolitan area located in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city is part of what is known as the South Bay (Los Angeles County), South Bay region of the m ...

) # 1981 Showboat Doubles Classic w/Joe Hutchinson (

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

) # 1981 Denver Open (

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

) # 1982 AMF Grand Prix (

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

) # 1985 Budweiser Classic (

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

) # 1986 Kodak Invitational (

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...

) # 1996 AC-Delco Classic (

Lakewood, California Lakewood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 80,048 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. It is bordered by Long Beach on the west and south, Bellflower, California, Bellflower on the north, C ...

) # 1997 Harrisburg Open (

) # 2004 PBA World Championship (

Taylor, Michigan Taylor is a city in Wayne County, Michigan, Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Its population was 63,409 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Taylor is the fifth most-populated city in Wayne County and the 17th List of municipa ...

)

Honors

*Inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame in 1999 and the USBC Hall of Fame in 2012. *Voted into the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame in 1999. *Won the Steve Nagy Sportsmanship Award in the 1980 and 1981 seasons. *PBA Senior Player of the Year for three consecutive seasons (2005 through 2007) *Has earned over $1.9 million as a PBA professional (over $1.45 million on the regular PBA tour) *Has rolled 65 career perfect 300 games in PBA competition. Was part of a 300-300 match play tie with Pete Weber in 1981. *Holds the record for most events bowled on the PBA Tour in a career, with 831.Vint, Bill. "Dave Soutar Closes 2011 Senior Tour Season with Record 250 Appearances." Article at www.pba.com on August 31, 2011

/ref>

Sources

www.pba.com, official site of the Professional Bowlers Association and the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour

References

External links

*Professional Bowling Hall of Fam

Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, Tom American ten-pin bowling players Sportspeople from Buffalo, New York 1954 births Living people People from King, North Carolina