USBC Communications
BATON ROUGE, La. – Hand in hand with those closest to him, Jeffrey Dickinson of Port Huron, Mich., made his 50th consecutive appearance at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships last week at the Raising Cane’s River Center.
The 70-year-old was joined by his wife (Pam), daughters (Michelle and Katie) and grandchildren (Isabella, Kole, Keaton and Jarett) during his honorary march across the lanes, and he was presented with a plaque, chevron and diamond lapel pin to commemorate his dedication to the tournament.
While Dickinson was surprised by some of the additional fanfare he received for reaching the milestone, he also was caught off guard by his family, who wore custom orange shirts recognizing his 50th appearance.
“It meant a lot to have my family out there with me,” Dickinson said. “The shirts were a good surprise, too. My wife and I left early to get here, and they said they were going to wait at the hotel. I was sitting on a bench and looked up at the escalator, and there they were. They all had orange shirts on – that’s my favorite color – with their names and mine for my 50th. That was special, too. It was very emotional for me to see that.
“I’ve met a lot of nice people on the way to 50 years. Even today, I had a lot of people shaking my hand and congratulating me. This has been an exciting day, and I know when I get back to the hotel, it will really set in. It’s been a very special day.”
Dickinson made his debut in 1975 during the tournament’s trip to Dayton, Ohio, and he has enjoyed getting to see the country through bowling.
He noted several spots he enjoyed visiting, from Billings, Mont., to Huntsville, Ala., and reminisced about his journey to Jacksonville, Fla., for the 1988 Open Championships alongside two close friends as they traveled from Michigan in a Cadillac Eldorado convertible.
During the 1992 event in Corpus Christi, Texas, his parents were able to join for the excitement and watch him compete.
“My parents were winter Texans from Michigan, and they went down to McAllen, Texas,” Dickinson said. “I flew down there, and my mom and dad drove over to Corpus Christi to watch me bowl. They were the ones who got me into bowling, so being able to see them up in the stands as I was competing against bowlers from all over the world was nice.”
On the lanes, his best overall performance took place during the event’s first trip to the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev. (1995). A 659 series in singles helped propel Dickinson to an all-events score of 1,869, and he followed the next year in Salt Lake City with his highest individual set on the championship lanes (673 in team).
With his 50th appearance now complete, he has compiled a career pinfall of 81,878 at the event for a lifetime average of 184.4.
The time has flown by to 50 consecutive appearances, but Dickinson plans to keep bowling at the tournament and taking on new experiences. He’s already looking forward to the 2028 event in Greenville, South Carolina.
“I told the guys … I can’t believe it’s been 50 years already,” Dickinson said. “It just doesn’t seem like it, especially 50 consecutive ones. I’ve always been a committed guy in a way. I worked at Kroger for 45 years. Once I make a commitment, I stay committed. I have a buddy on our team right now – Fred Leslie – he’s got 48, so I’m going to be there for him because he’s been there for me.
“But it’s unbelievable to think about – 50 years. It’s been an exciting trip.”
DOYLE ALSO HONORED
On Sunday, that took place for Kenneth Doyle of Sun City, Ariz., at the Raising Cane’s River Center, where he was presented with a plaque, chevron and diamond lapel pin for making his milestone appearance.
He was escorted down to the lanes and bowled with his family, including his daughters, Kathy and Karyn, his son-in-law, Steve, and his granddaughter, Kaci. His family started to join him at the tournament in 2004, when it was being held in Reno, Nevada.
Karyn and Steve joined the team that year, and over the next few years, Kathy and Kaci followed him along the way.
“Seeing all the other people on the squad, all the other people that we bowl with in our group,” said Doyle, who started bowling the tournament in 1970, when the event was being held in Knoxville, Tenn.. “Having my family there is the best part. This is what keeps me going.”
This is one of the reasons why Reno is one of his favorite cities to visit for the USBC Open Championships, as well as Las Vegas and Baton Rouge. Two of those locations (Reno and Las Vegas) are close to home for him, but Reno also is not too far from one of his favorite places to visit – Napa, Calif.
Baton Rouge is a favorite simply because of the incredible cuisine.
Getting to 50 years meant a lot to Doyle, stating, “It takes dedication and endurance. Getting here means that I can officially retire.”
The Open Championships has served as a way for his family to get together every year. While Doyle and his wife live in Arizona, Karyn and Steve live in Michigan and Kathy and Kaci reside in Illinois.
When talking about how she felt about her father’s big day, Karyn said, “This is just something that’s really nice to be able to share with your family.”
Now that Doyle’s appearance is in the books, he’s knocked over 75,796 pins at the tournament for a career average of 169.5 across 50 years.
The Open Championships is celebrating its third trip to Baton Rouge in 2025 and scheduled to feature more than 58,000 bowlers and 11,600 five-player teams competing across 150 consecutive days at the River Center.