Bowling

[W. Gray]

In the 1960s bowling became so popular that many TV sports shows featured local club bowlers competing against each other. I believe every station in Kansas City had a live local bowling program or two. The networks also had their own shows with bucks for the winning bowler.

A Kansas City Ford dealer, Slotzman Ford, or something like that, sponsored one KC bowling show in its entirety and allowed the winning bowler to roll on live TV for a new car. All the bowler had to do was to get the 7 pin and 10 pin with one ball. Just these two pins were set up. I can recall at least one car was won that way.  The 7/10 split became known locally as the Slotzman Split.



During the same time frame there was a professional bowling league set up in the U.S. in which spectators were charged admission to see their home team play against a team from another city. Each team maintained a roster of several players. It was called the National Bowling League and consisted of ten teams. Besides the KC team there were the Dallas Broncos and the Los Angeles Toros. The San Antonio team could not find a playing area and became a permanent road team.

The Kansas City Stars was the Kansas City franchise for this league. The owners purchased or leased the old Lowes Theater on Main Street in Kansas City. They built two or three raised lanes down the center of the seating area with the lanes ending at the stage. The remaining seats and balcony held the spectators.