Barry Asher

Barry Asher
Personal information
Born (1946-07-14) July 14, 1946
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Years active1966–1976
Height6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Sport
Bowling Information
AffiliationPBA
Rookie year1966
Dominant handRight (stroker delivery)
Wins10 PBA Tour
300-games4

Barry Asher (born July 14, 1946) is an American retired professional bowler on the PBA Tour (1966–76).[1][2] During his time on the tour, Asher won 10 titles along with 6 runner-up finishes, 2 of which were in the Firestone PBA Tournament of Champions in 1973 and 1975.[3]

Biography

Barry, who is Jewish, was born in Los Angeles, California. His bowling average was 170 when he was 10 years old, 180 the next year, and over 200 at age 14. He attended Santa Ana High School and Santa Ana Junior College, and was an All-American in 1972–73.[4][2][5][6][7][8] He won his first Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) title at the age of 19 in 1966.[9]

He averaged 247 on his way to winning the 1971 South Bend (Indiana) Open, setting a new PBA scoring record. In 1976, his final year on the tour, Asher became the 15th bowler to win 10 PBA titles.[1][2][9] He also won four titles in the American Bowling Congress (ABC) national tournament.[10] He was named Senior Bowler of the Year three times.[10]

He was the bowling technical advisor for the film The Big Lebowski (1998)[10] and bowled in the final scene.[11][12]

In 2008, the PBA announced the 50 Greatest Players in association's history, Asher was one of the 50.[13]

Today, Asher is owner and operator of Champions Bowling & Embroidery, located inside of Fountain Bowl in Fountain Valley, CA.[14]

PBA career

PBA Tour titles

Major championships are in bold type.

  1. 1966 Southern California Open (Encino, California)
  2. 1966 Crescent City Open (New Orleans, Louisiana)
  3. 1971 South Bend Open (South Bend, Indiana)
  4. 1971 850,000 American Airlines Open (Ellisville, Missouri)
  5. 1972 Columbia 300 Open (Cranston, Rhode Island)
  6. 1972 Japan Gold Cup (Tokyo, Japan)
  7. 1973 Showboat Invitational (Las Vegas, Nevada)
  8. 1973 Home Box Office Open (Tucson, Arizona)
  9. 1975 ARC Alameda Open (Alameda, California)
  10. 1976 Tucson HBO Open (Tucson, Arizona)

Halls of Fame

Asher was inducted into the USBC Hall of Fame in 1998,[15] Asher was inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame in 1988,[1] and into the Orange County Bowling Hall of Fame and the Southern California Bowling Hall of Fame.[2] He is also a member of the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame (1990) and the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame (2000).[10][16][17]

See also

References

  1. ^ abc"Barry Asher". PBA. Professional Bowlers Association. Retrieved May 23, 2015.
  2. ^ abcdPeter S. Horvitz (April 2007). The Big Book of Jewish Sports Heroes: An Illustrated Compendium of Sports History and the 150 Greatest Jewish Sports Stars. SP Books. ISBN 9781561719075. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
  3. ^"Barry Asher Career PBA Stats". mcubed.net. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
  4. ^"Bringing the bowling to 'The Big Lebowski'". March 23, 2013.
  5. ^B. P. Robert Stephen Silverman (September 22, 2003). The 100 Greatest Jews in Sports: Ranked According to Achievement. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9781461671688. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
  6. ^Bob Wechsler (2008). Day by Day in Jewish Sports History. KTAV Publishing House. ISBN 9781602800137. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
  7. ^David A. Rausch (1996). Friends, Colleagues, and Neighbors: Jewish Contributions to America from a Gentile View. Baker Books. ISBN 9780801011191. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
  8. ^Chuck Pezzano (1983). Professional Bowlers Association Guide to Better Bowling. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 9780671472443. Retrieved September 7, 2013. barry asher jewish.
  9. ^ abPete Aldridge (February 23, 1988). "Bowling — News from the pro ranks". Ocala Star Banner. Retrieved May 23, 2015.
  10. ^ abcd"Hometown Heroes and Heroines". Orange County Jewish Life. October 31, 2011. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
  11. ^"Bringing the bowling to 'The Big Lebowski'". Orange County Register. March 21, 2013. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
  12. ^Matt Coker (March 23, 2013). "Fountain Bowl Rolls with Lebowski Fest". OC Weekly. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
  13. ^"PBA announces the 50 Greatest Players in association's history". www.bowlingdigital.com. June 27, 2008. Archived from the original on November 12, 2023. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  14. ^Rowley, Brandon (May 2024). "Bowling with Barry: The story of a Hall of Famer". Santa Ana College el Don. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
  15. ^"Barry Asher". United States Bowling Congress.
  16. ^Eli Sherman, Joe Siegman (1999). The Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, 1990–1999. Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. ISBN 9780914615088. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
  17. ^"Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame Home". scjewishsportshof.com.
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