Feb 11, 2005 By Jim Kriek For The 4 min read

Whether he is in the lane of a track meet or the lane of a bowling alley, Dave Davison is still a winner. When he was a student at Brownsville High School and competing in track for the late coach Jack Henck, Dave could usually be found coming down the inside lane, out ahead of the field in whatever distance running event he might be running at that moment. Before graduating, he had rewritten the distance running record book at Brownsville.

Now Dave is competing in another lane – the lane of a bowling alley – and he is still out in front.

On Feb. 13, after competing as an amateur for 33 years, Dave will be entering into a new level of competition when he makes his debut as a professional bowler at New Brunswick, N.J.

A month ago, Dave tuned up for the occasion by having in one night what some bowlers would call a career.

On Jan. 19, Dave was bowling with his younger brother, Paul, at the South Hills Bowl in a “$12,000 Bud-Lite Classic League” match. He finished his first game with five strikes to complete a 225 score, which many pro bowlers might consider a “ho-hum” effort.

Then, over the next 24 frames, Dave rolled that many consecutive strikes – 24 balls rolled and 24 times putting down all the pins – for a total of 24 strikes and two perfect 300 games, to go with five “X’s” to end the first game. A grand total of 29 strikes in succession out of a possible 36, two perfect games, and an overall total of 825 for the three games.

It also gave him four perfect games this year up to that point, and 30 for his entire career.

You have heard all the old superstitions about not mentioning a big game in progress, such as a pitcher working a no-hitter, don’t do anything to jinx the occasion, etc.

But Dave was aware of his big night in progress, noting, “You know you are doing something.

“The last five frames of the first game were strikes, then you start a string in the next game, and so on. You know, and when you get a string going then you want to see how far you can go. But the others don’t stop to watch you, they just let the game go on, maybe watch the last couple of frames, but they don’t pressure you. It’s a good league, and they just let you bowl your game.”

Actually, while this series was featured by two perfectos, the overall total was not the best one of his career. He previously rolled 279-268-300-847, also at South Hills Bowl.

Looking ahead to his pro debut, Dave observed, “It’s something I have given a lot of thought to, just wanting to see if I can do it. I have been around bowling as far back as a I can remember.”

He will be making his pro debut under the sponsorship of his cousin, Tom Crantonies, of Kansas City, who is retired from the computer business.

Dave started going to bowling alleys and got interested in the sport through the competitive efforts of his dad, Don Davison, recalling that “my dad was a bowler and as I watched him I decided that I would also like to try it. I guess you could say it has been a life-long interest for I started going to bowling alleys with him when I was about six-years old.”

To which dad Don added, “Now, I have had the pleasure of watching both my sons rolling perfect games.”

When he’s not competing, Dave operates the Bowlers Depot Pro Shop AMF, at Noble Manor Lanes, in Pittsburgh.

As he heads into his new level of competition, Dave will have the backing of his top three fans – No. 1, his wife, the former Laurie Show, of Farmington; No. 2, daughter Amy; and No. 3, his mentor, dad Don.

So how about the future, is there another generation on the way?

Dave laughed, “Amy is just four-years old, but she has already rolled a 69 game.”

One ancient sports writer comes to mind, who if he ever rolled a 69, would go to church and light candles.