Ernie Schlegel

Ernie Schlegel, of Vancouver, Washington, is a retired professional ten-pin bowler and a member of the Professional Bowlers Association who competed on both the PBA Tour and the PBA Senior Tour. After finishing high school in 1960 he made his living as an action bowler around New York City and New Jersey, and the PBA approved his membership in 1968. He collected seven PBA Tour titles, two of them majors, along with six runner-up finishes and 26 more top-five appearances. His first title came on his 37th birthday in 1980 at the King Louie Open, and at age 52 he won the 1995 Touring Players Championship by beating Randy Pedersen 237-236. In 1996 he won the ABC Masters and became its oldest champion. He passed one million dollars in career earnings in 2001, later won two Senior Tour titles, and is a member of both the USBC and PBA Halls of Fame.