Windsor Locks Legend Made Sports History 50 Years Ago [VIDEO]

WINDSOR LOCKS, CT — As snow sits on the ground outside Bradley Bowl, Windsor Locks legend Larry Lichstein's mind was in warmer places Saturday, reminiscing from his home in Florida about the day he helped make professional bowling history exactly 50 years ago in California.

On Feb. 6, 1971, the 1969 Rookie of the Year on the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour reached the pinnacle of his career when he won the Ebonite Open in San Jose on ABC national television, taking home a $10,000 check as a result. The victory was significant in two ways: it was the first time in PBA history that all 16 match play qualifiers were left-handers, and it was the first national tour victory for a bowler from New England.

"It was the most unfair PBA tournament ever," the 71-year-old Lichstein said in an exclusive interview Saturday with Patch. "Everyone had labeled the house as a left-hander's house, since lefties had won five of the previous six years there, and the owner didn't want a left-hander to win again. He threatened Harry Golden of the Tour that he would lock the doors if they didn't change the oil setup, but the rules were that it couldn't be changed once a tournament had begun, so Harry refused."

Lichstein faced some stiff competition in the televised stepladder finals. Hall of Famers Johnny Petraglia, Earl Anthony and Dave Davis were among the five finalists, along with 6-time PBA Tour winner Skee Foremsky.

"I had no fear, but I was also very pragmatic; I knew who they were," he said.

After qualifying second, Lichstein knocked off Foremsky 203-194 in the semifinals to earn a shot at the top-seeded Davis. However, a 5-6 split on his opening shot of the title match resulted in an open frame against one of the top competitors in the world, who had 12 national titles to his credit at that point.

"I was shocked when I left [the split], but I knew what I did wrong; I let the ball slide a bit," he recalled.

Down by 11 pins early, and then by 12 pins after the fourth frame, Lichstein rolled strikes in the sixth, seventh and eighth frames to tie Davis. A fourth consecutive strike in the ninth gave the young 145-pounder the lead for the first time in the match.

Davis finished his game first, winding up with a 227, forcing Lichstein to strike in the 10th frame to have a chance at victory. When Lichstein delivered a perfect shot that cleared the deck, he dropped to his knees and pounded the approach in delight. He finished with a 234 game, in what would eventually be his only PBA Tour win.

"I had lost four times in the finals, so the pounding was me releasing the frustration of those earlier losses," he said.

On Friday, he and Davis got together at Davis' Florida home and reminisced about the historic aspects of that tournament a half-century ago.

"I called Dave Monday and asked him what he was doing Friday, and he said 'nothing' so I drive the 68 miles to his house," Lichstein said. "He's been a dear friend for many years. I was an usher at his wedding in 1977. Even today, when it sinks in, I cherish this memory. It was a wonderful thing to happen to a young man."

7-time PBA Tour champion Hugh Miller wrote, "I remember watching that show. I was in junior league, 14 years old. Also remember going to a senior event about 20 years ago in Seattle to watch some of my favorites bowl (Davis, Petraglia, Roth). Distinctly remember Dave Davis saying, 'There will never be a left-handed Senior Player of the Year.' So far, he was right!"

Two weeks after his triumph on the West Coast, Lichstein placed second in the Winston-Salem Classic, and he ended the year ranked among the top 10 bowlers in the world. However, he took a full-time job with the PBA Tour as Director of Player Services in 1974, and held that post for 22 years.

Six different halls of fame have recognized Lichstein for his accomplishments. In 1996, he was elected to the Central Connecticut Bowlers Association Hall of Fame, and the PBA honored him for meritorious service. He made the Connecticut Bowling Association Hall of Fame in 1997, the Windsor Locks Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007, the New England Bowling Association Hall of Fame in 2017 and the U.S. Bowling Congress Hall of Fame in 2019.

In a past interview with Patch, Lichstein said his most cherished honor was being enshrined alongside longtime friends in his hometown hall of fame.

"I was around greatness as a teenager," he fondly remembered. "Windsor Locks won the Little League World Series in 1965, and the high school soccer teams won state championships in 1963 and 1964. Those teams brought championship caliber to the town of Windsor Locks, and everywhere you went in town, whether it was eating at Friendly's in Dexter Plaza or shooting pool at Bradley Bowl, there was a champion. Those guys I looked up to called me the best bowler, which gave me the inner confidence and desire to continue."

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