Randy Pedersen (born 1962) is a professional bowler and color analyst for ESPN's coverage of the PBA Tour. He works alongside play-by-play commentator by veteran announcer Gary Thorne. Pedersen grew up in Southern California, but relocated to Clermont, Florida in the early 1990s, where he has resided ever since. He and his wife Becky have two children: a son, Chad and a daughter, Savannah.

Bowling career[link]

As a bowler, Pedersen has won 13 PBA titles, with his last coming at age 40 in the 2002 Pepsi Open. That title pushed him over the $1 million career earnings mark, making him the 24th millionaire in PBA history at the time. Most dominant from the mid-1980s to early 1990s, Pedersen captured the prestigious PBA National Championship crown in 1987.

At the same time, he is also known for two of the worst breaks in PBA history. He lost both his tour exemption and a PBA Tournament of Champions match due to leaving one pin standing in the last frame on each of those occasions. He was ranked #35 on the PBA's 2008 list of 50 Greatest Players of the last 50 years.

Pedersen was elected to the PBA Hall of Fame in October, 2010, and was inducted with the 2011 class on January 22, 2011.^[1]

Off the lanes, Pedersen has had great success behind the microphone as a TV analyst since joining ESPN in 2001; Pedersen earned the position after getting his start in broadcasting as a lane-level reporter on ABC's Pro Bowlers Tour. He also worked for Fox Sports Net for a brief time in 2000.

Pedersen has been lauded for his extensive knowledge of the game, associated bowling lingo and catch phrases (see below) as well as his sense of humor. He also had a small part in the 1996 comedy movie Kingpin along with several other professional bowlers.

Randy-isms[link]

• "Dead flush perfect!":
• "He absolutely pured it."

(above two describing a perfectly-rolled strike, with all 10 pins going into the pit)

• "Bartender, make it a double!!"
  (sometimes shouted when a player throws back-to-back strikes)

• "Bad mammal!"
  (Pedersen uses this term either to describe a bowler on a hot streak, or serious pin carry when a less-than-perfect shot takes out all ten pins)

• "Nothin' left but pin shrapnel!"
• "Shreds the rack!"
  (above two sometimes used to describe a powerful strike)

• "Winner winner, Chicken dinner!"
  (referring to the winner of a match)

Pedersen once commented on his role as PBA Analyst on ESPN telecasts. He said, "I want to convey to the viewing public that they are watching the best bowlers in the world. It's my job to explain what makes them that good, as well as provide other information that 'Johnny 150 average' doesn't already know. One thing I learned is if you can bring enthusiasm to the table, sometimes it doesn't really matter what is coming out of your mouth. The viewing audience senses the enthusiasm." ^[2]

References[link]

1. ^ Schneider, Jerry. "Randy Pedersen, Dale Eagle and Len Nicholson Elected to PBA Hall of Fame." Article at www.pba.com on October 20, 2010.
2. ^ Zikes, Lyle. "Sizing up the lanes: Randy Pedersen has brought color to the PBA as an analyst." Article in Bowling Digest, June, 2002.

Peter David "Pete" Weber, nicknamed β€œPDW”, [5] (born August 21, 1962 in St. Ann, Missouri), is a bowling professional on the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour. Weber is one of the sport's most popular active players and is known for his maverick, rebellious personality. Weber is also featured in the ten-pin bowling sports documentary A League of Ordinary Gentlemen.

Growing up[link]

Pete Weber grew up in Florissant, Missouri, and, as the son of bowler Dick Weber, was introduced to the sport at the age of two. At the age of 15, Weber was already winning local bowling tournaments against adult players, and, with the help of his father, was able to join the PBA tour at the age of 17 (the former policy required a minimum age of 18). In 1979, Weber started his first year on the professional circuit and participated in 21 tour events, including making one TV appearance. Weber won Rookie of the Year honors in 1980. By 1982, he had won his first PBA title, winning two that season. By the time he was 24 years old, he had already reached the 10-title plateau (becoming the youngest player in PBA history to reach that mark).^[1] At age 26, he won the PBA National Championship, giving him all three jewels of the PBA's "triple crown" (achieved by winning the U.S. Open, Tournament of Champions and PBA National Championship).

Controversy[link]

Despite Weber's talent, he was not popular with his bowling peers and was even denied Player of the Year honors in 1987 despite winning the Tournament of Champions and leading the tour in earnings; the award was instead given to Marshall Holman.^[2] By 1989, Weber had won 13 PBA Tour titles and had reached over $1 million (USD) in earnings, but his personal life was plagued with problems. By the mid-1990s, Weber had been through two divorces and suffered from alcoholism.^[3] At the same time, the PBA tour itself was in decline.

In 2000, the PBA Tour was sold to three former Microsoft executives; Weber was not on the tour during this transitional phase, as he was still serving a six-month suspension given by the former PBA leadership in 1999 due to behavior related to his drinking problem. The new tour ownership saw Weber's flashiness as a potential tool for marketing the PBA to a new audience. By the 2001-02 season, Weber had his career back on track, winning three titles in all. On December 4, 2005, Weber overcame a year of trying times both personally and professionally by clinching what was, perhaps, the most emotional title of his career at the 2005 Bowlersparadise.com Classic at Stardust Bowl in Hammond, Indiana. This marked the first television appearance for Pete Weber in 666 days, and it was his first title after the death of his father on February 13, 2005. Pete honored his father after the victory by looking into the ESPN cameras and pointing at the "DW" patch on his sleeve.

Weber's attitude on television has given him a reputation as an "action bowler" which some critics view as unsportsmanlike.^[4] During the 2010 Dick Weber Open he became furious over the sound a photographer's camera made while he was bowling. In the finals of the 2012 U.S. Open, he repeatedly confronted an audience member whom he believed was intentionally distracting him on his shots. He eventually won the 2012 event, his unprecedented fifth U.S. Open title, getting a strike on the final ball of the tenth frame to defeat Michael Fagan by one pin. Weber exploded in a burst of rage and excitement: "Yes! God damn it! Yes! That is why I did it! I'm number five... are you kidding me? That's right! Who do you think you are? I am! Dammit right!" The video of Weber's reaction to his win became a viral internet video.^[5]

After time to cool down, Weber was more humble in his post-tournament interview, stating that although he had just surpassed his father and Don Carter in career U.S. Open titles, "I'll never say I'm better than them. They paved the way for us to be here. It was an honor and a privilege to join them when I won my fourth U.S. Open, and it's even more of an honor to be the first one to win five."^[6]

Achievements[link]

Overall, Weber has won 36 PBA Tour events, including nine major titles. His 36th tour win on February 26, 2012 came at age 49 in the 69th U.S. Open. He defeated Michael Fagan by one pin (215-214) by rolling a strike on his last ball of the 10th frame. He is the oldest bowler to win a U.S. Open title.^[7] He is fourth on the all-time PBA Tour titles list, behind only Walter Ray Williams, Jr. (47), Earl Anthony (43) and Norm Duke (37). Weber's 35th Tour win at the end of the 2009-10 season ensured Walter Ray Williams Jr. of his record 7th Player of the Year award, as well as making Williams (then age 50) the oldest ever to win it. Had Weber lost in the final match against Mike Scroggins, then Scroggins would have been named Player of the Year.^[8]

Pete's nine majors place him second all-time to the legendary Earl Anthony, who has ten. Weber has rolled 64 perfect 300 games in PBA competition through the 2010-11 season. His five U.S. Open titles are the most of any bowler in PBA history.^[9] Weber is one of six PBA players to have earned the career Triple Crown. If he wins one more Tournament of Champions title, he'll become the first bowler to win all three jewels of the Triple Crown at least twice in a career.

Pete Weber claimed his first career European Bowling Tour title in 2008, in the 30th Trofeu Internacional, July 22–27, 2008, Ciutat de Barcelona at Bowling Pedralbes in Barcelona, Spain.

Pete joined his father in the PBA Hall of Fame in 1998, and he became a member of the United States Bowling Congress Hall of Fame in 2002. His career PBA Tour earnings of over $3.3 million (through the 2010-11 season) place him second all-time, behind only all-time titles leader Walter Ray Williams, Jr. Weber, Williams and Norm Duke are the only PBA bowlers to have topped the $3 million mark in career earnings. Weber is also second to Williams in career TV appearances (123) and TV match wins (111). Pete owns 46 PBA Regional titles, the most all-time.^[10]

Pete was ranked 4th on the PBA's 2008 list of "50 Greatest Players of the Last 50 Years," one place behind his father.

On ESPN's Cold Pizza he mentioned that he has made the 7-10 split four times in his career. He also noted that he is a near-scratch golfer and has six career holes-in-one.

Defeats[link]

Pete Weber was the victim in two momentous victories by Walter Ray Williams, Jr. Williams defeated Weber, 236-213, on March 26, 2006, in the title match of the PBA World Championship to tie Earl Anthony's original all time tour titles record of 41.

Williams also defeated Weber, 289-236, on September 24, 2006, in the title match of the Dydo Japan Cup to break Anthony's all-time tour titles record and establish the all-time mark of 42 titles.

Bowling Style and Personal Information[link]

• His style is a power stroker, which combines the high backswing and rev rate of a cranker with the smooth timing of a stroker. Compared to other bowlers of this style his ball speed is slower but gets a large amount of side roll into the ball.
• He wears sunglasses while bowling on television to reduce the glare of the TV lights. He also wears a golf glove on his bowling hand.
• When he gets a strike, he sometimes does the D Generation-X crotch chop.
• Pete's bowling idol growing up was not his father, but Mark Roth, one of the game's original power players who inspired Pete to hook the ball much more than his father ever did.
• Pete dropped out of high school in the 10th grade, opting to work behind the pins at a local bowling center and refine his game during time off. He got his General Equivalency Degree (GED) at age 17, just prior to joining the PBA Tour.
• He has been married to third wife, Tracy, since 1997. They have three children together.
• Weber has many superstitions when bowling, including: sitting in the same spot the same way when bowling well, not having his wife Tracy wear red on TV, and folding his towel the same way.
• Weber's most embarrassing moment came on national television on April 13, 1991. As Pete explained to Sports Illustrated on November 7, 2006, "After I won the 1991 [BPAA] U.S. Open, I went to lift the trophy over my head. The eagle toppled down and busted into a million pieces. People came up and grabbed pieces to take home."
• He likes to follow all the St. Louis professional sports teams: Cardinals, Rams, and Blues.
• In an interview after winning his first title of the 2001 season (Great Lakes Classic), he addressed the bowling world with the statement: "I want you to take a look, I'm back and I am P.D.W." During the telecast, Weber shot 299, leaving a 4-pin on the 12th ball after eleven straight strikes.
• He has written on BowlSpace, the social networking site for bowlers, that he is a big wrestling fan, particularly of the WWE. His favorite wrestler is Triple H, and when Weber gets spares and strikes on TV "The Game" by MotΓΆrhead (Triple H's entrance music) plays through the speakers. Weber's nickname "PDW" is a take on Rob Van Dam's nickname "RVD", and Weber often points to himself with his thumbs in the same manner of Van Dam.

External links[link]

• PBA Tour - Pete Weber biography page
• USA Today article - "Pete Weber's resurgence has PBA on edge" (03-01-2002)
• USA Today article - "Brash, raunchy Weber is just what bowling needs" (02-12-2002) in

References[link]

1. ^ Storm Staff Bowler bios at www.stormbowling.com
2. ^ Marshall Holman Hall of Fame bio at www.pba.com, official website of the Professional Bowlers Association and Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour
3. ^ Clark, Tom. "Pete Weber's resurgence has PBA on edge." Article at www.usatoday.com, March 1, 2002.
4. ^ Holt, Jack. "Is Pete Weber Bad for Bowling? A Fan’s Opinion". Yahoo Sports. http://sports.yahoo.com/top/news?slug=ycn-11028230. Retrieved 29 February 2012. 
5. ^ Newcomb, Tim. "A Bowler’s Exuberant Win Goes Viral β€” And for Good Reason Read more: http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/02/28/a-bowlers-exuberant-win-goes-viral-and-for-good-reason/#ixzz1t6ecHm7l". Times. http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/02/28/a-bowlers-exuberant-win-goes-viral-and-for-good-reason/. Retrieved 26 April 2012. 
6. ^ "St. Louis bowler Pete Weber wins record 5th U.S. Open." Article at STLtoday.com on February 27, 2012. [1]
7. ^ Vint, Bill. "Pete Weber Wins Record Fifth U.S. Open to Surpass Father Dick Weber and Don Carter." Article at www.pba.com on February 26, 2012. [2]
8. ^ Vint, Bill. "Weber Re-Writes PBA History with Marathon Open Victory, Hands Williams Player of the Year Title." Article at www.pba.com on April 4, 2010.
9. ^ Vint, Bill. "Pete Weber Wins Record Fifth U.S. Open to Surpass Father Dick Weber and Don Carter." Article at www.pba.com on February 26, 2012. [3]
10. ^ Vint, Bill. "Weber Continues Mastery in Illinois Valley Classic, Wins Record 46th PBA Regional Title." Article at www.pba.com on July 27, 2011. [4]

David Ozio (born April 3, 1954) of Beaumont, TX is a right-handed ten-pin bowler and member of the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA). He won 11 titles on the PBA Tour. He was the 2004 Senior PBA Rookie of the Year, winning the 2004 Senior U.S. Open. Through 2008, he has won five titles on the Senior and Generations tours.^[1] He is currently the General Manager of the Bowling Division for Etonic Shoe Company.^[2]

Ozio won one major on the regular PBA Tour: the 1991 Tournament of Champions. He was also named PBA Player of the Year in 1991, and was inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame in 1995.^[3] He was ranked #34 on the PBA's 2008 list of "50 Greatest Players of the last 50 years."

In a 1995 PBA event in Richmond, VA, Ozio broke the TV record for four-game pinfall with 1,070 pins, topping the mark of 1,050 set in 1984 by Nelson Burton Jr.. The record would stand only one year, however, as it was shattered by Bob Learn, Jr.'s 1,129 four-game total in a 1996 Erie, PA event.^[4]

In the media[link]

• Ozio authored an instructional book (with Dan Herbst) in 1992 called Bowl Like a Pro.^[5]

References[link]

1. ^ PBA Senior Tour news at www.pba.com
2. ^ http://www.etonic.com/company/management.php
3. ^ Hall of Fame bios at www.pba.com
4. ^ Perfection! Learn Delights Hometown Crowd With 300 Game And Title, mrbowling300.com, June, 2006
5. ^ Bowl Like a Pro review at www.powells.com

Wesley Clint "Big Nasty" Malott (born October 26, 1976 in Austin, Texas) is an American professional ten-pin bowler who resides in Pflugerville, Texas. He has seven titles in nine full seasons on the PBA tour, having won at least one title in four straight seasons (2005-06 through 2008-09). He also won the 2006–07 Showplace Lanes Megabucks Shootout, which is not a PBA Tour event. Malott also owns 13 PBA Regional titles. Through the end of the 2011-12 season, his career PBA Tour earnings stand at over $830,000 (U.S.). He has rolled 25 perfect 300 games in PBA Tour events through 2010-11.

In a close race, Malott won the 2008–09 PBA Player of the Year Award over Norm Duke (74 points to Duke's 70). In his finest season to date, Malott made nine TV finals appearances, winning three times. He won the PBA's George Young High Average award with a season mark of 222.98. He also won all five of his matches in winning ESPN2's made-for-TV "King of Bowling" event, which was broadcast over five weeks on a tape-delay basis in April-May, 2009. Malott rolled 300 games in two of his five matches.^[1]

At the 2009 PBA World Series of Bowling in Allen Park, MI, Malott made the TV finals in two of the seven events: the PBA Shark Championship and PBA World Championship, but failed to win either tournament.^[2] He made the final match in the World Championship, but was denied his first major title when he was upset by Tom Smallwood, 244-228. Smallwood is originally from Saginaw, Michigan, and formerly worked in the automotive business before defeating Malott for the championship.

Although Malott failed to win a tournament in the 2009-10 season (the first time he has been shut out since 2004-05), he did finish second on the Tour in average (221.33) and fifth in points, while making five TV finals appearances.^[3]

Malott's most recent title came in the 2011-12 season, as he won the Mark Roth-Marshall Holman Exempt Doubles Championship with partner Norm Duke.^[4]

Career highlights[link]

Career statistics[link]

Personal[link]

Wes and his wife, Maryiedth, have two sons (Jordan and Camden) and now a daughter (Brooke).

Sources[link]

• http://www.pba.com, official website of the Professional Bowlers Association and the PBA Tour

References[link]

1. ^ "Malott Records Perfect Ending to King of Bowling Series." Article at www.pba.com, May 20, 2009.
2. ^ "Malott to Bowl for First Major Title in PBA World Championship." Article at www.pba.com, September 4, 2009.
3. ^ Vint, Bill. "Walter Ray Williams Jr. Concludes Remarkable 2009-10 with Statistical Sweep." Article at www.pba.com on May 7, 2010. [1]
4. ^ Vint, Bill. "Duke Wins 36th Title, Malott Ends Three-Year Slump with Roth-Holman PBA Doubles Championship Victory." Article at www.pba.com on March 25, 2012. [2]

Brian Voss (born August 4, 1958) of Kennesaw, GA, is a professional ten-pin bowler and member of the Professional Bowlers Association since 1982. The right-hander currently owns 25 PBA titles (10th all-time). He was inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame in 1994 and the USBC Hall of Fame in 2007.

Early years[link]

Born August 4, 1958, Brian Voss grew up in Anchorage, Alaska (USA), where his father took ownership of a bowling center when Brian was 6. As he said in a 2002 interview, "Bowling has been part of my life for as long as I can remember."^[1] After his family moved to Colorado, Voss struggled to pay for college while working at a bowling center, before deciding to enlist in the U.S. Army. He served two years as an Army electronics technician in the Seattle, WA area, where he also had the opportunity to participate in intramural bowling and refine his game while winning multiple All-Army championships.

PBA career[link]

Voss won his first PBA tour title in 1983. In the title match, Voss and challenger Pete McCordic tied after the standard 10 frames with an unusually low score of 176. Voss took the championship in an extra 9th/10th frame roll-off. The 1980s saw him win his only major title, the 1988 PBA National Championship. Also in 1988, he earned a then-record $225,485 and was named PBA Player of the Year.

Voss enjoyed his best career stretch from 1987–1998, winning at least one title in 12 straight seasons. (The PBA record of 17 straight seasons with a title is now held by Walter Ray Williams, Jr.) It was during this time that two well-known catchphrases caught on: "Don't cross the Voss!" and "Voss is Boss!". Voss suffered a broken wrist at the beginning of the 1999 season, and the streak ended. He has collected over $2.4 million in career PBA earnings, and currently stands fifth all-time in that category.

He was known for exceptional versatility, being able to bowl well on multiple oil patterns. According to pba.com, Voss was "a threat to win any event in which he entered."

Voss lost his PBA Tour exemption following the 2006-07 season, but was reinstated as an exempt player for 2009-10 under the PBA's new "Golden Parachute" rule. In that season, at age 51, Voss won his 25th PBA Tour titleβ€”a mixed doubles championship with Diandra Asbaty.^[2] With the win, Voss bowled as an exempt player for the 2010-11 PBA Tour season. This made him the oldest exempt player on tour. (Voss turned 52 in August, 2010. Exempt player and all-time titles leader Walter Ray Williams, Jr. turned 51 in October, 2010.)

Personal[link]

Early in his career, Voss developed a sort of "playboy" reputation because of his poster-boy good looks. In fact, he became a devout family man. Unlike most bowlers, who stay on the road between stops of the grueling PBA tour, Brian routinely flew home to his wife and two sons in the Atlanta area, even if only for a couple of days.

Awards and recognition[link]

• PBA Player of the Year (1988)
• Harry Smith PBA Point Leader award (1987, 1988)
• Inducted into PBA Hall of Fame, 1994
• Inducted into USBC Hall of Fame, 2007
• Through the end of the 2008-09 season, he has rolled 52 perfect 300 games in PBA events.
• Was ranked #13 on the PBA's 2008 list of "50 Greatest Players of the Last 50 Years"

References[link]

1. ^ "The Natural", an interview with Brian Voss in Bowling Digest, February, 2002.
2. ^ Schneider, Jerry. "Voss and Asbaty Victorious in Bayer Don and Paula Carter Mixed Doubles." Article at www.pba.com on February 21, 2010.

• Official website of the Professional Bowlers Association

External sources[link]

• Hall of Fame bios at www.pba.com, official site of the Professional Bowlers Association
• YouTube video of Brian Voss converting the 7-10 split on "PBA Xtra Frame" broadcast