advertisement

U.S. Bowling Congress honors Palatine's Les Zikes

LAS VEGAS - United States Bowling Congress Hall of Famer Les Zikes, a native of Palatine, added another milestone to his resume as he became the 11th player in history to celebrate 65 years of participation at the USBC Open Championships.

The 82-year-old right-hander was joined by his wife, Mary Cay, and son, Lyle, as he was introduced and honored at the South Point Bowling Plaza on March 20. He received a plaque, chevron and custom ring in recognition of his longevity at the event.

The six-time Open Championships titlist has served as an ambassador for the sport for more than half a century, earning the respect and admiration of fellow competitors.

During his tournament debut as a 15-year-old at the 1950 event in Columbus, Ohio, Zikes was able to show that same type of respect and admiration to one of his bowling idols, hall of famer Ned Day.

"At that time, Ned Day was probably the most well-known bowler out there," said Zikes, one of 19 members of the 100,000-Pin Club at the Open Championships. "He was my idol, and when we went there, I had no idea I'd be able to meet him. I was able to shake hands with him. A few years down the road, I was able to bowl on his team."

The trip to Columbus also served as a great bonding moment for Zikes and his father, as they paired up to bowl doubles.

"In those days, if you bowled a 600 series, that was quite a score," said Zikes, who also is a two-time winner on the Professional Bowlers Association Tour. "I shot 602 in doubles, and my dad had bowled around 550 or so, and he ended up getting needled a bit by the other guys because I carried him."

Zikes collected his first win at the Open Championships at the 1962 event in Des Moines, Iowa, helping Chicago's Strike 'n Spare capture the Regular Team title, which started an unprecedented run of success at the event.

He recorded another Regular Team title in 1963 and became the first player to win a title in three consecutive appearances when he added Regular All-Events and Team All-Events titles at the 1964 event in Oakland, California. The feat recently was matched by Anthony LaCaze of Melrose Park, who claimed titles in 2013, 2014 and 2015.

"I was very fortunate to win four titles in three years," said Zikes, who added wins in Classic Singles (1975) and Classic Team (1977). "I have to hand it to Anthony, beating 50,000 bowlers is tough."

Zikes competed at the USBC Masters throughout the 1980s as a touring professional on the PBA Tour. His return to the Open Championships came at the 1991 event in Toledo, Ohio, and the Buckeye State once again was the site of a special father-and-son moment for the Zikes family.

"I remember watching him bowl as far back as Oakland when I was about 7 or so," said Lyle, who made his 34th tournament appearance this year. "In 1991, when he no longer was a touring pro, we started a team, and we've bowled together every year since. It's something we really look forward to each year, especially with his record at this event."

Zikes finished his 65th appearance with scores of 570 in singles, 562 in doubles and 546 for a 1,678 all-events total, placing him seventh overall in career pinfall with 112,564, a 197.48 average.

"I've always gotten a thrill of coming out to this tournament," Zikes said. "The people who come out here, I think they love it, too. If I'm able, I'll be back. I'm 82, so you never know how it's going to be, but I'll say one thing - I'm pretty lucky. I've been a very lucky person my whole life. I have a beautiful wife, and we've been married for 61 years. We also have amazing kids, and I'm very proud of all of them."

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.