Courtesy of International Bowling Media Association
FAIRLAWN – Another unforgettable chapter was added to bowling’s rich history Sunday at AMF Riviera Lanes, where the sport’s past and present once again met on one of its most sacred stages.
On the legendary pair of lanes 27-28 — long considered ground zero in Professional Bowlers Association lore — former Stonehedge Family Fun Center owner Fred Borden was honored with the 63rd Sam Levine Flowers for the Living Award prior to the television finals of the PBA Tournament of Champions.
Surrounded by an admiring hometown crowd, the Akron native took his place on the same approach where some of the game’s most iconic moments have unfolded, using a cane as he continues to recover from recent surgery. His wife, Sue, was unable to attend the presentation due to illness.
“I got pretty emotional pretty fast,” Borden, 85, said. “It really meant a lot to me because of the history of the award. You didn’t get this award by just being a bowler or being just a one-trick pony. It’s given for a broad spectrum of work. So, I sure appreciate it.”
And that “broad spectrum of work” has defined Borden’s decades-long impact on the sport.
A renowned coach and influential figure in bowling circles, he was instrumental in establishing the USBC coaching program, writing most of the teaching materials for USA Coaching that are still in use today. Borden also has written several books and has produced several instructional videos while coaching individuals at every level.
Borden also was shaping the business side of the game. He owned multiple bowling centers in the Akron area, most recently Stonehedge, a 48-lane facility he sold just three years ago to Station 300.
“I was 82, and I got to a point where I just couldn’t put the hours in it takes to do a good job,” Borden said.
And he stressed the importance of having his wife at home while he was out performing his coaching duties.
“The Lord really blessed me, and I was very lucky to have my wife,” Borden said. “We’ve been together for 60 years. Sue worked for 70 or 80 hours a week at the bowling center when I’d be out of town. She was my eyes and my ears and my right hand.”
But long before his days as a proprietor and mentor, Riviera Lanes was already part of Borden’s story.
“I have a lot of memories there. I bowled there a lot. I shot a 790 there when I was like 20 years old, and that was huge back then,” he said.
“The newspaper headline said ‘Borden’s 790 is something to moo about,’ because of my name (a reference to the Borden Dairy Company).”
Those memories stretch into some of the sport’s most historic moments.
“In 1970 I sat in the booth with Nelson Burton Jr. and Chris Schenkel when Don Johnson shot the 299,” Borden said. “I was coaching him a lot at the time.”
That near-perfect game during the Firestone Tournament of Champions was later voted the most memorable moment in the PBA’s first 60 years — bowled on Riviera’s championship pair, the very lanes where Borden stood Sunday, this time as the one being celebrated.
On hand to watch the ceremony were several members of the PBA Hall of Fame, including Parker Bohn III, Wes Malott and Chris Barnes, former PBA Commissioner Mark Gerberich, and former PBA broadcaster Denny Schreiner.
Also present was fellow USBC Hall of Fame coach Jeri Edwards, one of Borden’s longtime friends.
“I’ve known Fred for 36 years, and I’m so happy he’s receiving this beautiful award,” Edwards said. “Fred started setting pins at the age of 8 at North Canton Recreation Lanes. For the next 76 years, he has devoted his life to the betterment of the game.
“He encourages and inspires everyone he touches. He’s the most prolific bowling coach of all time.”
The Flowers for the Living Award, which began in 1961, is reserved for those whose influence extends far beyond personal accolades, honoring individuals who have made lasting contributions across the sport.
For Borden, that legacy lives in the countless players he’s mentored, the centers he’s operated, and the generations he’s helped shape.
In a building steeped in bowling history, on the lanes that have produced some of its most dramatic moments, Fred Borden’s recognition felt like a natural addition to the lore — another meaningful moment etched onto the same wood where legends have long left their mark.
On this day, in this place, it all came together.