Mike McGrath (bowler)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
May 13, 1946
Chico State College (Chico, CA)
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Born | Michael John McGrath May 13, 1946 Berkeley, California, U.S. |
| Died | July 30, 2017 (aged 71) Petaluma, California, U.S. |
| Alma mater | El Cerrito High School (El Cerrito, CA) Chico State College (Chico, CA) |
| Years active | 1965-1975 |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) |
| Sport | |
| Bowling Information | |
| Affiliation | PBA |
| Rookie year | 1965 |
| Dominant hand | Left |
| Wins | 10 PBA Tour (3 majors) |
Mike McGrath (May 13, 1946 – July 30, 2017) was an American professional bowler and member of the Professional Bowlers Association. While on tour, McGrath won ten tournament titles (including three majors), was a six-time runner-up, and finished in the top-five an additional twenty-two times.[1][2]
At the 1965 Portland PBA Open, McGrath became the first bowler to win a title in their first tour event.[3]
Among McGrath's PBA major titles, he became the first bowler to win back-to-back PBA National Championships in 1969 and 1970.[2] The 1973 U.S. Open at Madison Square Garden was the last of Mike's three major victories, where he outlasted Earl Anthony 234‐222 in the championship match.[4]
At the 1969 Cougar Open in Paramus, New Jersey, McGrath became the first and still PBA bowler to go undefeated in a 16-game match play format.[5]
1975 was a transition year for McGrath, bowling in his last PBA season and then becoming a long-time writer and columnist for Bowlers Journal magazine.[6][7]
Mike was inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame in 1988 and the United States Bowling Congress Hall of Fame in 1993.[8][9][10]
During the PBA's 50th season in 2008–09, McGrath was named one of the "PBA’s 50 Greatest Players of the Last 50 Years" by a panel of bowling experts commissioned by the PBA, ranking at #39, just ahead of Tom Baker and Joe Berardi (tied at #40) and behind #38 Bill Allen.[11]
On the evening of July 30, 2017, McGrath died at his home at age 71, after a battle with cancer.[12] McGrath was honored posthumously into the California USBC Hall of Fame in 2023 by Barry Asher.[13]