Dick Ritger
Encyclopedia
Dick Ritger of River Falls, Wisconsin
, was a dominating right-handed ten-pin bowler
in the Professional Bowlers Association
(PBA), and now runs Dick Ritger's Bowling Camp.
on the all-time list. He won multiple titles in five different seasons on tour.
A gentleman on the lanes and off, Ritger won the PBA's Steve Nagy Sportsmanship award on two occasions. His status among the all-time greats was solidified with his election to the PBA Hall of Fame in 1978.
Ritger's best chance at a major title came in 1970, when he made the televised final of the Tournament of Champions and shot 268 in the final match. But he was on the wrong end of 26-time titleist Don Johnson
's legendary 299 game. He also finished runner-up in the 1972 PBA National Championship and 1979 Tournament of Champions.
Already a member of the USBC
Hall of Fame in the Performance category, Ritger was the first person inducted into the USBC's new Bowling Coaches Hall of Fame in June, 2008.
River Falls, Wisconsin
River Falls is a city in Pierce and St. Croix counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 15,000 at the 2010 census, making it the second largest city in the Twin Cities Wisconsin suburbs, which is the eighth largest metropolitan area in the state...
, was a dominating right-handed ten-pin bowler
Ten-pin bowling
Ten-pin bowling is a competitive sport in which a player rolls a bowling ball down a wooden or synthetic lane with the objective of scoring points by knocking down as many pins as possible.-Summary:The lane is bordered along its length by semicylindrical channels Ten-pin bowling (commonly just...
in the Professional Bowlers Association
Professional Bowlers Association
The Professional Bowlers Association is the major sanctioning body for the sport of professional ten-pin bowling in the United States. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, the PBA membership consists of almost 4,300 members worldwide...
(PBA), and now runs Dick Ritger's Bowling Camp.
PBA career
Ritger joined the PBA Tour in 1964, and won his 20th and final regular PBA Tour title in 1979. The 20 titles put him in a 12th-place tie with Wayne WebbWayne Webb
Wayne Webb is the son of a Ten-pin bowling alley operator from Rehoboth, Massachusetts, USA and was one of the world's best Ten-pin bowlers from the late 1970s to the end of the 1980s...
on the all-time list. He won multiple titles in five different seasons on tour.
A gentleman on the lanes and off, Ritger won the PBA's Steve Nagy Sportsmanship award on two occasions. His status among the all-time greats was solidified with his election to the PBA Hall of Fame in 1978.
Ritger's best chance at a major title came in 1970, when he made the televised final of the Tournament of Champions and shot 268 in the final match. But he was on the wrong end of 26-time titleist Don Johnson
Don Johnson (bowler)
Don Johnson was an American ten-pin bowler who spent many years on the Professional Bowlers Association tour.-PBA career:...
's legendary 299 game. He also finished runner-up in the 1972 PBA National Championship and 1979 Tournament of Champions.
Bowling Instructor Career
In the 1980s, Ritger started a bowling pro shop business and went into the instructional field. Still active today with his Dick Ritger's Bowling Camps, he is recognized as one of the most effective bowling instructors in the world. He has taught professionals and amateurs in 24 countries covering five continents. He has also developed a three-part video series called Dick Ritger's "Feelings of Bowling"[TM].Already a member of the USBC
United States Bowling Congress
The United States Bowling Congress is a sports membership organization dedicated to ten-pin bowling in the United States. It was formed in 2005 by a merger of the American Bowling Congress, Women's International Bowling Congress, Young American Bowling Alliance, and USA Bowling...
Hall of Fame in the Performance category, Ritger was the first person inducted into the USBC's new Bowling Coaches Hall of Fame in June, 2008.
Personal
Ritger graduated from the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse with a double major in Physical Education and Recreation.Awards and recognition
- PBA Steve Nagy Sportsmanship award (1970, 1973)
- PBA President, 1977-78
- Inducted into PBA Hall of Fame, 1978
- Inducted into USBCUnited States Bowling CongressThe United States Bowling Congress is a sports membership organization dedicated to ten-pin bowling in the United States. It was formed in 2005 by a merger of the American Bowling Congress, Women's International Bowling Congress, Young American Bowling Alliance, and USA Bowling...
Hall of Fame (Performance Category), 1984 - World Bowling Writers Distinguished Service Award, 1995
- John Martino Award for "Outstanding Contribution to the Sport of Bowling," 1998
- BPAA/Dick WeberDick WeberDick Weber was a famous bowling professional and a founding member of the Professional Bowlers Association...
Bowling Ambassador Award, 2006 - Inducted into USBCUnited States Bowling CongressThe United States Bowling Congress is a sports membership organization dedicated to ten-pin bowling in the United States. It was formed in 2005 by a merger of the American Bowling Congress, Women's International Bowling Congress, Young American Bowling Alliance, and USA Bowling...
Bowling Coaches Hall of Fame, 2008 - Was ranked #14 on the PBA's 2008 list of "50 Greatest Players of the Last 50 Years"
Other sources
- PBA.com, official site of the Professional Bowlers Association and the Lumber Liquidator's PBA Tour