INTERNATIONAL BOWLING MEDIA ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCES 2012-13 AWARDS
Honors to Dave Luby, Mark Gerberich and Kegel/John Davis
Asbaty, Fagan Capture Inaugural IBMA Bowler of the Year Honors
ARLINGTON,Texas – The International Bowling Media Association (IBMA) announced its list ofaward winners for 2012-13. Three bowling visionaries are to be recognized for their contributions to the sport and industryof bowling.
Mort Luby Hall of Fame Award –Dave Luby
Presented to an individual (whomay or may not be living at the time of nomination) who has made adistinguished contribution to print, broadcast, telecast or photographiccoverage of bowling over an extended period of years.
Possibly the most influential man in bowling journalism history, Dave Luby was the founding father of Bowlers Journal and the patriarch family that has carried on his dream to this day. Dave Luby, born in 1857, was an Irish immigrant and traveling shoe salesman who discovered a passion for bowling in his youth in Chicago. His love of the game led to his creation of a weekly bowling newspaper called "Bowlers Journal" in 1913 which eventually became a monthly magazine. He was also founder of the famous Randolph league. Upon his death, Bowlers Journal passed to his son Mort Luby Sr., and later his grandson, Mort Luby Jr. Dave Luby was inducted into the ABC/USBC Hall of Fame in 1969. “Try to imagine old Dave Luby prowling the bowling alleys and pool halls of Chicago one hundred years ago, collecting the news and ads he needed to produce the first issue of Bowlers Journal,” said Mort Luby Jr. “I'm sure he'd be pleased to know that his magazine is still around….and sound!”
Alberta Crowe Meritorious Service Award –Kegel/John Davis
Presented to an individual or organization for outstanding long-term accomplishments in and for the sport of bowling.
The late John Davis who was memorialized as "the Steve Jobs of the bowling industry," founded Kegel in 1981 along with Linda and Mark Davis and David Jennings. The Florida-based bowling research and services company started out with a single lane cleaning product – The Key. In 32 years, the company has grown into a world-class organization with several product lines, over 120 employees, and a state-of-the-art facility in Lake Wales, Florida. Kegel Bowling Technologies (KTC) blends conditioners and cleaners. Lane Maintenance Central provides telephone support, educational seminars, workshops, and on-site support to the bowling industry. Kegel Training Center (KTC) is a custom-built, 12-lane bowling training center and is also the official training center of the PBA and Webber International University. KTC hosts educational clinics for bowlers, coaches, and pro shops. Kegel, which sponsors the Phantom Radio internet program and IBMA’s Bowler of the Month Award, provides lane maintenance assistance to bowling centers and tournaments worldwide. Kegel,the only company in the industry to attain ISO (International Organization for Standardization) 9001 certification, reflects the image of John Davis: “Your Lanes. Our Passion.”
Hennessy Award of Merit – Mark Gerberich
Awarded to those who have contributed to the betterment of the sport. The award is named after the late USBC Hall of Fame journalist Mike Hennessy, who served as president of the Bowling Writers Association of America in 1997.
Mark Gerberich joined the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) after college in 1983 serving in several positions with the organization before becoming commissioner in 1996. Under his leadership he expanded PBA’s foray into conducting its TV finals in special arena settings in front of huge crowds, which gained significant momentum from 1996-2000. The three arena finals that the organization conducted in 1994 were so successful that eight tournaments in 1995 put their championship rounds in arena settings; one of which drew the largest paid record attendance of 7,212 fans attending the 1995 BPAA U.S. Open in Detroit's Joe Louis Arena. In 1996 a record 10 events were held in special arena settings. The PBA Tour’s first outdoor arena final was conducted in 1999 in Bryant Park in New York City and was televised by CBS. Gerberich also guided the PBA during challenging times in the late 1990s and was instrumental in orchestrating the sale of the PBA to Chris Peters, Mike Slade and Rob Glazer in 2000. As commissioner, he directed nearly 200 events in the U.S.,Europe and Asia which included supervising sales, marketing, public relations,television and licensing for those events. He was also involved in the development of PBA’s Touring Players’school.
2012 Male Bowler of the Year – Mike Fagan
2012 Female Bowler of the Year – Diandra Asbaty
Asbaty,a 32-year-old Chicago right-hander, topped the women's voting after her victory in the 2012 USBC Queens at the International Bowling Training and Research Center in Arlington, Texas. She also won the Australian Masters, and a gold medal in the team event of the Pan American Confederation championships. The runner-up in the 2012 QubicaAMF World Cup, she also earned a spot on Team USA for the 13th consecutive year with a fourth-place finish in the 2012 Team Trials.
Fagan,Grapevine, Texas, used a win in the USBC Masters in Henderson, Nev., as the key factor in leading the men's voting. The 32-year-old right-hander also captured the Brunswick Euro Challenge, was runner-up in the U.S. Open and Brunswick Ballmaster Open, third in the World Bowling Tour men's final, fourth in the Professional Bowlers Association Tournament of Champions and Viper Open, and fifth in the PBA Pepsi Elite Players Championship and Qatar Open. His achievements in 2012 also earned him a spot on Team USA 2013.
The awards will be presented during the IBMA Awards Dinner Sunday, June 23, in conjunction with International Bowl Expo, June 23 – 27, 2013
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