Brian Voss
| Brian Voss | |
|---|---|
 Brian Voss with his first prize at the 2012 Irish Open Championships | |
| Born | August 4, 1958 |
| Residence | Kennesaw, Georgia |
| Occupation | Ten-pin Bowler |
Brian Voss (born August 4, 1958) of Kennesaw, Georgia, is a professional ten-pin bowler and member of the Professional Bowlers Association since 1982. The right-hander currently owns 25 PBA titles (10th all-time). He was inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame in 1994 and the USBC Hall of Fame in 2007.
Early years
Born August 4, 1958, Brian Voss grew up in Anchorage, Alaska (USA), where his father took ownership of a bowling center when Brian was 6. As he said in a 2002 interview, "Bowling has been part of my life for as long as I can remember."[1] After his family moved to Colorado, Voss struggled to pay for college while working at a bowling center, before deciding to enlist in the U.S. Army. He served two years as an Army electronics technician in the Seattle, WA area, where he also had the opportunity to participate in intramural bowling and refine his game while winning multiple All-Army championships.
PBA career
Voss won his first PBA tour title in 1983. In the title match, Voss and challenger Pete McCordic tied after the standard 10 frames with an unusually low score of 176. Voss took the championship in an extra 9th/10th frame roll-off. The 1980s saw him win his only major title, the 1988 PBA National Championship. Also in 1988, he earned a then-record $225,485 and was named PBA Player of the Year.[2]
Voss enjoyed his best career stretch from 1987–1998, winning at least one title in 12 straight seasons. (The PBA record of 17 straight seasons with a title is now held by Walter Ray Williams, Jr.) It was during this time that two well-known catchphrases caught on: "Don't cross the Voss!" and "Voss is Boss!". Voss suffered a broken wrist at the beginning of the 1999 season, and the streak ended. He has collected over $2.4 million in career PBA earnings, and currently stands fifth all-time in that category.
He was known for exceptional versatility, being able to bowl well on multiple oil patterns. According to pba.com, Voss was "a threat to win any event in which he entered."
Voss lost his PBA Tour exemption following the 2006-07 season, but was reinstated as an exempt player for 2009-10 under the PBA's new "Golden Parachute" rule. In that season, at age 51, Voss won his 25th PBA Tour title—a mixed doubles championship with Diandra Asbaty.[3] With the win, Voss bowled as an exempt player for the 2010-11 PBA Tour season. This made him the oldest exempt player on tour. (Voss turned 52 in August, 2010. Exempt player and all-time titles leader Walter Ray Williams, Jr. turned 51 in October, 2010.)
Personal
Early in his career, Voss developed a sort of "playboy" reputation because of his poster-boy good looks. In fact, he became a devout family man. Unlike most bowlers, who stay on the road between stops of the grueling PBA tour, Brian routinely flew home to his wife and two sons in the Atlanta area, even if only for a couple of days.
Awards and recognition
- PBA Player of the Year (1988)
- Harry Smith PBA Point Leader award (1987, 1988)
- Inducted into PBA Hall of Fame, 1994
- Inducted into USBC Hall of Fame, 2007
- Through the end of the 2008-09 season, he has rolled 52 perfect 300 games in PBA events.
- Was ranked #13 on the PBA's 2008 list of "50 Greatest Players of the Last 50 Years"
References
- ↑ "The Natural", an interview with Brian Voss in Bowling Digest, February, 2002.
- ↑ 1988 Budweiser Touring Players Championship at www.pba.com
- ↑ Schneider, Jerry. "Voss and Asbaty Victorious in Bayer Don and Paula Carter Mixed Doubles." Article at www.pba.com on February 21, 2010.
External sources
- Hall of Fame bios at www.pba.com, official site of the Professional Bowlers Association
- YouTube video of Brian Voss converting the 7-10 split on "PBA Xtra Frame" broadcast