AKRON — Just three days away from his big night, Wes Malott still can’t make sense of it all.
“Things start coming back from the past 20 years that have gotten me to this point,” said the 45-year-old right-hander who will be among four inductees into the PBA Hall of Fame on Saturday night.
“I look at where I was then and where I didn’t think I could compete against these guys at one point. And now, to be considered as one of the greatest of all time … it’s just surreal.”
Malott, a Texas native now living in Fort Wayne, Ind., owns 10 PBA career titles and has amassed more than $1.3 million in earnings. He will be joined in the Hall of Fame class by contributors Mary and Kirk Von Krueger and former PBA regional manager and player Gary Mage.
The ceremonies are set for Saturday at the Akron Hilton in Fairlawn.
Good friend Robert Lawrence, a fellow PBA pro who also is participating in the KIA PBA Tournament of Champion this week at AMF Riviera Lanes, will present Malott for induction.
“I go back to when Robert and his business partner gave me a job to work in their pro shop. He took me under his wing even before that, taking me to amateur tournaments and regional tournaments and eventually to the national tour,” Malott said. “He gave me all the opportunities and that doesn’t even include all the others who supported me financially.”
That includes USBC executive director Chad Murphy,, who gave Melott his first contract to join the PBA national tour.
“I don’t think it has completely hit me yet,” said Malott, who has started his induction speech but will be just writing down bullet points. “I’ve looked back on a couple of close friends who have gone in and their inductions. I really don’t know until that moment how I will react.”
Malott has three biological children — Jordan 18, Camden 14 and Brooke 11 — plus his girlfriend, Sarah French, has two other children — Maggie 10 and Graham 8.
“They all hate to see me leave and do what I love, but it’s my job and how I help support my family,” Melott said. “It’s a unique job to be sure that all of us out here love to do.”
Four of the five children are bowlers, with the two oldest also participating in baseball. Jordan will be attending Huntington (Ind.) University in the fall and participate in both sports.
“I don’t push them to be more than what they want to be,” Melott said. “Sarah, she’s the rock. To know someone like that that supports me. If I had that my entire career, who knows where I would be.”
Melott has been preparing for the future for the past 10 years, operating a pair of pro shops in the Austin, Texas, area and another he recently opened near his Indiana home.
How long he will continue to compete is still up in the air.
“Opening the shops doesn’t mean I have a set time to leave. We’ve had discussions, but there’s nothing set in stone as to when I’m calling it a career,” Melott added. “It’s going to be similar to the rest of my career where everything just fell into place.
“I’m just going to roll with the flow. There might be a time when it’s time to hang it up. And if it is, I’ll be OK with that. I know it’s’ coming to a time where I will not longer be able to live off of (the PBA Tour).”
And family will be the strongest consideration as he approaches the next phase of his life, especially when it comes to possible involvement in the PBA50 Tour.
“I can’t imagine not bowling some of the events if the timing’s good, there’s not a lot going on and I’m not missing my kids’ events,” Malott said. “I’m not going to sitting here scrounging up money to bowl and make a dollar. I don’t want that.”
But the former Texan, known on Tour as the “Big Nasty” won’t be far away from the sport that has given him so much. And if you think he still can’t compete, consider he rolled an 879 series, including back-too-back 300 games, during the Fort Wayne City Tournament recently.
Also, through four games of Wednesday’s second qualifying round, Melott had worked his way up to seventh after averaging 242.25. He currently is sitting 11th at 2,689 after 12 qualifying games.
“I know it’s going to be my night,” Malott said. “It’s the time for me to thank all those people who have gotten me to this point. And for that, I’m grateful.”
NOTEBOOK
BIG CONVERSION: Senior player Eugene McCune, the defending champion at the PBA50 singles event at Strike Zone in Canton, converted the 7-10 split in the seventh frame of Game 1.
PRO-AM SOLD OUT: The two pro-ams for the TOC on :Saturday are officially sold out. PBA officials said they have 182 entries for the 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. squads, including 115 adults and 67 youth. It is the second largest turnout since the PBA returned to Riviera. The PBA could not add pro-am squads because of Saturday’s Hall of Fame ceremonies.
CLINIC ALSO A SUCCESS: Monday night’s youth-pro clinic at Riviera drew 115 players, most of whom were high schoolers. The PBA Tour had 10 pros involved in the session, which followed the official practice session for the tournament.
COMING TO CANTON: The PBA50 Strike Zone Lanes Central Classic is set for March 4 through 6 at Strike Zone in Canton. Two eight-game squads are set for March 5, with the top 16 individuals overall advancing to the March 6 match-play rounds based on a 96-player field.. Admission is free. A pro-am is set for 6:30 p.m. March 4, with a $10 entry fee. Call 330-478-2123 for details. According to regional director Bobby Jakel, the field will be reduced for that event.
NEXT UP: The TOC will have two shifts today at noon and 5:30 p.m. The morning shift will be the final qualifying round, with the field being cut to the top 24 for the first round of match play during the late shift. Tickets are $20 for the morning shift and $25 for the late shift, and can be purchased at the door.
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