Professional Bowlers Association Tour - 1978
The 1978 Professional Bowlers Association Tour featured some of the most heralded names in PBA history, including Earl Anthony, Mark Roth, Dick Weber and Don Johnson, to name but a few. Below and on the linked pages is a recreation and "replay" of the 1978 PBA Tour events using In The Pocket, a bowling computer simulation.
Miller Lite Classic
First stop on the 1978 PBA Tour is the Miller Lite Classic (Jan. 4-7), from Gable House Bowl, in Torrance, Calif., which closed in 2023. The event was won in real life, by Mark Roth. In this replay, Roth struggled a bit at the outset and sits 22nd after the qualifying round. Johnny Petraglia, Marshall Holman and Wayne Zahn are among those who failed to make the cut. Following are the standings and totals after the qualifying round:
| BOWLER | QUAL TOTAL | AVG |
|---|---|---|
| Larry Laub | 4021 | 223.39 |
| Nelson Burton Jr. | 4016 | 223.11 |
| Earl Anthony | 4010 | 222.78 |
| Don Johnson | 3993 | 221.83 |
| Warren Nelson | 3950 | 219.44 |
| Matt Surina | 3940 | 218.89 |
| Craig Cutsor | 3937 | 218.72 |
| Rick Minier | 3899 | 216.61 |
| Mike Durbin | 3896 | 216.44 |
| Gary Dickinson | 3896 | 216.44 |
| Gil Sliker | 3883 | 215.72 |
| George Pappas | 3868 | 214.89 |
| Joe Nuzzo | 3852 | 214.00 |
| Tommy Hudson | 3845 | 213.61 |
| Randy Lightfoot | 3838 | 213.22 |
| Fred Conner | 3831 | 212.83 |
| Wayne Webb | 3831 | 212.83 |
| Joe Berardi | 3830 | 212.78 |
| Joe Hutchinson | 3825 | 212.50 |
| Les Zikes | 3819 | 212.17 |
| Steve Westberg | 3813 | 211.83 |
| Mark Roth | 3788 | 210.44 |
| Pete McCordic | 3782 | 210.11 |
| Dick Weber | 3781 | 210.06 |
| Wayne Zahn | 3780 | 210.00 |
| Cliff McNealy | 3778 | 209.89 |
| Joe Groskind | 3767 | 209.28 |
| Keith Craycraft | 3758 | 208.78 |
| Jeff Mattingly | 3756 | 208.67 |
| Charlie Venable | 3745 | 208.06 |
| Dennis Lane | 3743 | 207.94 |
| Butch Soper | 3735 | 207.50 |
| Johnny Petraglia | 3734 | 207.44 |
| Marshall Holman | 3730 | 207.22 |
| Pete Couture | 3700 | 205.56 |
| Bill Spigner | 3696 | 205.33 |
| Mike Berlin | 3696 | 205.33 |
| Dan Roche | 3693 | 205.17 |
| Ernie Schlegel | 3693 | 205.17 |
| Palmer Fallgren | 3678 | 204.33 |
| Teata Semiz | 3667 | 203.72 |
| Fred Jaskie | 3656 | 203.11 |
| Paul Moser | 3652 | 202.89 |
| Dave Davis | 3637 | 202.06 |
| Jay Robinson | 3633 | 201.83 |
| Carmen Salvino | 3589 | 199.39 |
| Louie Moore | 3575 | 198.61 |
| Roy Buckley | 3507 | 194.83 |