Bowling Hall of Fame is family affair
Eddie Graham needed a little push, and Brian Kretzer was just the one to provide it.
Kretzer printed and signed a state hall of fame application for Graham, urging him to apply.
“Eddie is one of my best friends, he deserves to be in there and I knew he wouldn’t do it himself,” Kretzer said.
Graham took Kretzer’s lead and will be inducted into the Ohio Bowling Hall of Fame for superior performance in the pro division for bowlers who have claimed a professional title. He and the other 2023 inductees will be recognized at the annual state banquet in May.
Bowling has been a part of Graham’s life since he was just 5 years old. More than five decades later, the now 57-year-old is still a tournament regular at the regional and national levels.
Graham got a fresh start in 2016 as he joined the PBA50 ranks. He made the most of that opportunity cashing in at every event he competed in that season, claiming his first national title at the PBA50 DeHayes Insurance Group Championship and winning the PBA50 Rookie of the Year title.
The Kettering bowler has also earned five PBA Regional titles and won the 2007 Regional Players Invitational Championship.
Graham has made his mark at the state and local levels across the country as he has been named Bowler of the Year in Dayton multiple times as well as in Texas and Kentucky. Fifteen Greater Dayton
USBC titles and more than 200 honor scores – including an 868 career high series — and a 240 high average bolster Graham’s hall of fame credentials.
“The competition still drives me,” Graham said. “But it’s getting tougher as I get older.”
While Graham is edging closer to super senior status — at 60 — he isn’t about to put his game on hold. The hall of famer competes in two or three tournaments a month including PBA50 Regional events.
“My motto for many years has been, ‘you’re only as good as the last game you bowled,’” he said.
While Graham puts that theory to the test on a regular basis, he is especially looking forward to competing in the PBA50 Tournament of Champions in August.
“These are the guys I’ve bowled with all my life,” he said.
His induction will be a family affair as his wife Kari was inducted into the state hall of fame several years ago. Graham will be inducted with his brother-in-law Jon Murph, who is being inducted for superior performance. Family bragging rights definitely don’t come easy.