Sport: Bowling
Born: April 16, 1934
Died: November 23, 2021
Town: River Edge, New Jersey
Anthony Semiz was born April 16, 1934 in Bergenfield, NJ. The boy who went by “Teata” grew up in River Edge and started bowling as a 14-year-old at the rec center in Bergenfield. He honed his game in his teens and 20s at Frank Esposito’s Paramus Bowling Center. Teata was known as a “ball changer”—a player who switched balls between tournaments and sometimes even games.
Teata began entering professional tournaments in 1961 and joined the PBA Tour full-time in 1968. He and eight other bowlers were sponsored by Basch Advertising in New York. Teata continued to work construction jobs during his career, and was involved in the building of the World Trade Center. Teata typically ranked among the Top 25 money winners and won 10 pro tournaments during his career, including the Classic Singles and All-Events titles at the 1972 ABC Open.
For many years, Teata pocketed five-figures annually competing on television bowling shows, where his big hair and bushy sideburns made him instantly recognizable. And, like most big-name bowlers, he gave lessons and clinics.
Teata was inducted into the US Bowling Congress Hall of Fame in 1991. By then he was competing on the PBA Senior Tour. He rolled a perfect game at the 1983 Masters and, in 1997, became the oldest player to win a PBA Senior event at the age of 63. He continued to bowl regularly in local leagues and, in 2014, at the age of 80, Teata rolled an 800 three-game series. He passed away at 87 following a fall.