Centerville High to induct first bowler in Hall of Fame
Being first suits Lindsey Furnas just fine, and she has plenty of experience doing just that.
The 2003 Centerville High School graduate is heading into the Centerville High School Athletic Hall of Fame — the first bowler to do so. Furnas won the school’s first individual girls state bowling title and was part of Centerville’s first state championship bowling team in 2002. She will join the ranks of such distinguished alumni as NFL players A.J. Hawk and Mike Nugent.
The induction is scheduled for Feb. 9.
“It’s humbling, emotional and exciting,” Furnas said.
Furnas, then Lindsey Coulles, was a star on the lanes from an early age, totaling 14 city and seven state youth titles as well as 21 Junior Tournament Bowlers Association cham- pionships before she graduated from high school.
High school bowling was not yet an OHSAA sanctioned sport when Furnas first competed for the Elks club team during her junior year. By senior year, bowling was recognized and Furnas and the Elks girls took the state tournament by storm, capturing both the individual and team titles.
Furnas went on to become a four-time U.S. Bowling Congress Collegiate All-American — three times with Morehead State and once at the University of Central Florida. She was voted the most valuable player at the USBC Intercollegiate National Team Championships in 2006.
But Furnas wasn’t finished with the gold and black: She came back to coach the girls bowling team in 2011. She was named the GWOC Central Division Coach of the Year in 2015 and 2016 and coached three consecutive teams to top-five state finishes from 2014-16.
While Furnas was sharing her love of the game with her high school bowlers, she had success on the lanes herself. Since 2009, the Hall of Famer has won multiple city and state titles and has earned spots on both the women’s AllCity and All-Ohio teams.
While health issues sidelined her on a few occasions — including a twoyear hiatus from competitive bowling — she never gave up on the game, even when doctors doubted she would be back bowling.
“I didn’t listen to them,” she said. “And they were very wrong.”
The Watts Middle School intervention specialist — who has 30 perfect games and 13 800 series — is also a member of the Storm amateur staff. In addition to regularly competing in city and state tournaments, she has competed in a few PWBA events.
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