Mike Aulby

Mike Aulby (born March 25, 1960, in Indianapolis, Indiana) is a left-handed bowler and former member of the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA). He is one of only four PBA bowlers to win both a Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year award. (Tommy Jones, Chris Barnes and Jason Belmonte are the others.)

PBA career

Aulby joined the PBA Tour in 1978 and captured his first title and Rookie of the Year honors in 1979. His first title was a major in the 1979 PBA National Championship, as he became the youngest player (19 years, 83 days) to ever win a PBA major. That record stood until 2016, when Anthony Simonsen (19 years, 36 days) captured the USBC Masters.[1]

Aulby would go on to win 18 titles in the 1980s, nine in the 1990s, and one more in 2001, giving him 29 titles in all for 8th place all-time. The victory at the 2001 Silicon Valley Open also made him the first bowler in history to win at least one regular PBA Tour title in four different decades. Pete Weber and Norm Duke have since joined Aulby in earning this distinction. (Dick Weber and Johnny Petraglia have PBA titles in six decades, but each needed PBA Senior Tour wins in the fourth, fifth and sixth decades.)

Aulby was named PBA Player of the Year in 1985 and 1995. In 1989, he collected a then-record $298,237 in winnings, but was beaten out for Player of the Year by Amleto Monacelli.

Among Aulby's 29 titles are eight major championships. The eight majors place him in a tie with Walter Ray Williams Jr. and Jason Belmonte for 3rd most all-time. Only Earl Anthony and Pete Weber (10 each) have won more major titles. Aulby is one of only six bowlers to capture the PBA career "Triple Crown" (winning the U.S. Open, PBA National Championship and Tournament of Champions) -- and along with Norm Duke, the only one of the six to add the ABC Masters title for a career "Grand Slam." Also Aulby is the only bowler in history to capture the career Super Slam (winning a Touring Players Championship for all 5 majors), an achievement no one else has yet accomplished. Aulby and Jason Belmonte are the only two PBA players to have won the Masters three times.

In the 1993 Wichita Open on July 31, Aulby rolled a nationally-televised 300 game to win the title over David Ozio, 300-279.[2] This marked just the second time a nationally-televised 300 game was rolled in a title match (after Bob Benoit).

Aulby was known as a true gentleman on tour. "Reserved, thoughtful, and pleasant, he's as polite when he's losing as when he's winning."[3] This led to him winning the PBA's Steve Nagy Sportsmanship award two times.

Awards and recognition

References

  1. ↑ Schneider, Jerry (February 14, 2016). "19-Year-Old Simonsen Wins USBC Masters to Become Youngest to Win a Major Title". pba.com. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
  2. ↑ Feldman, Michelle. "Paying the price for III-timed perfection...The Match I'll Never Forget." Bowling Digest, April, 2003.
  3. ↑ "Not Fade Away: Mike Aulby, Champion Bowler Interview", Lyle Zikes, Bowling Digest, June, 2001.
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