Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Kent and Wiseman Inducted into PBA Hall of Fame

Doug Kent of Newark, NY, the winner of 10 Professional Bowlers Association Tour titles including four major championships, and Danny Wiseman of Baltimore, a 12-time Tour winner with one major title, were inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame for superior performance during ceremonies at the Indianapolis Marriott North Saturday night.

Wiseman, 45, joined the PBA in 1987 and has earned just over $1.55 million.
Kent, also 45, joined the PBA in 1988 and has earned just over $1.51 million
during his career. In the voting for the 50 Greatest Players in PBA History
during the organization’s 50th anniversary celebration in 2009, Wiseman was
ranked 42nd and Kent 43rd.

Among Kent’s major titles are the 1991 United States Bowling Congress Masters, his first title, the 2002 PBA World Championship, and the 2006 USBC Masters and Denny’s PBA World Championship. Winning two majors in 2006 led to the Chris Schenkel PBA Player of the Year award. He is one of only nine players ever to win two major titles in the same season.

“As a young player I never thought about Halls of Fame or Player of the Year
awards,” Kent said. “All I wanted to be was like my hero Mark Roth."


“I want to thank PBA for the opportunity to be a professional bowler and to live
a dream.”

Kent joins his brother-in-law, Parker Bohn III, in the PBA Hall of Fame. Kent’s
wife is the former Chrissie Beamish; Bohn’s wife is the former Leslie Beamish.
They are the second set of brothers-in-law in the PBA Hall, joining Mike Aulby
and Steve Cook, who also married sisters.

Wiseman, who won the first of his 11 standard titles in the 1990 Fair Lanes Open in his hometown in his first television appearance, won the historic 2004 USBC Miller High Life Masters which was staged on a special lane installation inside Miller Park in Milwaukee – the first time a bowling championship had been conducted inside a major league baseball stadium.

Wiseman also had memorable performances in the 1992 Tournament of Champions and 2009 USBC Masters, finishing second in both tournaments.

Early in his career, Wiseman defined himself by compiling the winningest
television record in PBA history at that time (21-5), and by introducing a
colorful persona that branded him as something of a maverick.

“I never had a lot of natural ability and often wondered how I got to this
point,” Wiseman said.  “I have to give my parents a lot of the credit. I learned
to strive for perfection from dad and to never give up from my mom."

“I took what I learned from a lot of the greats in the sport, combined it with
my own ability and made a career out of it.”

Including the Class of 2013, the PBA Hall of Fame consists of 61 performance, 27 meritorious service and three PBA50 (formerly senior) inductees.

No comments: