Sport: Bowling
Born: April 28, 1942
Town: Hackensack, New Jersey
David Davis was born April 28, 1942 in Hackensack, NJ. He began bowling in Bergen County during the sport’s boom years and developed near-perfect left-handed form as a teenager. Dave also had a legendary competitive streak. He turned pro in 1964, joining the PBA Tour at the age of 21. In 1965, he won the PBA National Championship, one of the sports “majors.” No southpaw had won a major before that.
In 1967, Dave had a career year, capturing six tournaments, including the PBA National Championship again. He was named Bowler of the Year. Dave won two more majors, the Tournament of Champions in 1968 and again in 1975. In the ’68 event, he won on his last roll despite clipping his ankle with the ball. His win in 1975 was unusual in that he had spent time in the broadcast booth in 1974, working with Chris Schenkel after Schenkel’s longtime partner, Billy Walu, passed away. At the end of the ’75 season, Bowling magazine named Dave to the All-American first team for the fourth time in his career. Dave roomed with Dave Soutar on the tour for nearly a decade.
Dave ended up with 18 career tournament championships, and won multiple titles in a year four times. He also served on the PBA’s Tournament Committee and Executive Board.
Dave was inducted into the US Bowling Congress Hall of Fame in 1990. He continued to bowl on the PBA Senior circuit, winning the Senior Masters in 1995 and 1996, and winning events into his mid-50s before knee problems slowed him down. In 2009, Dave was ranked the 20th greatest bowler in history by the PBA.