GDUSBC Senior All-City Team
(Points in parentheses)
Eddie Graham (62) — Senior Bowler of the Year
Jerry Kessler (58)
Dave Flemming (48)
Mike McCoy (47)
Ron Profitt (46)
To say Eddie Graham has had a good rookie season on the PBA50 Tour would be an understatement.
The 50-year-old Centerville resident, who joined the tour in June, qualified for match play in nine consecutive tournaments and recently earned his first national title at the PBA50 DeHayes Insurance Group Championship. Graham edged five-time PBA Tour winner Bob Learn Jr., 186-156, to win his first PBA50 Tour title. One round earlier, he knocked off PBA Hall of Famer Amleto Monacelli, 257-175.
Last week, he led the first two rounds of qualifying at the PBA50 National Championship, finishing 16th after match play.
“I’ve had a good little run,” Graham said modestly. “I’ve had some good friends tell me, ‘Eddie, you’re doing amazing,’ but I don’t think it’s really set in.”
The PBA50 Tour has been a bit of a homecoming for Graham, who bowled on the PBA Tour off and on since 1994. He won five PBA regional titles including the 2007 PBA Regional Players Invitational.
“When I turned 48, I dropped my card,” he said. “I felt like I couldn’t compete against the kids.”
At 50, however, Graham is now a “kid” on the PBA50 Tour, one of the youngest on tour.
“I actually told my boss that I’m the kid of the senior tour, so I’ve got to try this,” Graham said. “I’ve been a bowler my whole life, so I looked at it as another chapter in my bowling career — and here I am.”
That new chapter had a storybook finish in Fort Wayne with a title, but he has also posted ninth- and 12th-place finishes this season. But the PBA50 Tour is about more than wins for Graham.
“This is probably the best time I’ve ever had on tour,” he said. “It’s been a great reunion because I’ve bowled with so many of these guys over the years. We’re bowling for less money than we’ve ever bowled for but we’re doing it for the love of the game and the passion we have for it.”
While Graham has found success on the national stage, he was also recently honored for his local accomplishments as the Greater Dayton United States Bowling Congress senior bowler of the year.
“Dayton has always been a competitive bowling town,” he said. “We are known across the country for having great bowlers. And bowling against them helps keep you sharp.”
And staying sharp has paid off for Graham:
“Looking back on this season, I did much better than I ever imagined.”
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