Mark Roth
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Mark Stephen Roth (April 10, 1951 – November 26, 2021) was an American professional bowler. He won 34
PBA Tour The PBA Tour is the major professional tour for tenpin bowling, operated by the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA). Headquartered in Mechanicsville, Virginia, over 3,000 members worldwide make up the PBA. While most of the PBA members are Reg ...
titles in his career (sixth most all-time), and is a member of the PBA and USBC Halls of Fame. Roth was most dominant from 1975 through 1987, a stretch in which he made 107 televised finals appearances, captured 33 titles, and won four PBA Player of the Year awards. He is also known for having been the first professional bowler to convert a 7–10 split on national television.


Early life

Roth was born on April 10, 1951, in Brooklyn, New York. His mother, Hilda (Rocker) Roth, was a legal secretary, and his father, Sidney, was a postal worker and a World War II Army veteran.


Bowling career

Roth made a splash on the PBA Tour with a cranking, hard-throwing style that spawned a generation of imitators for years to come. Often referred to as "The Original Cranker," he won 34 PBA titles, including two major championships which both came in 1984 (the U.S. Open and the Touring Players Championship). His first title came in 1975, winning the PBA King Louie Open in
Overland Park, Kansas Overland Park ( ) is the largest city in Johnson County, Kansas, United States, and the List of cities in Kansas#Highest population listing, second-most populous city in the state of Kansas. It is one of four principal city, principal cities in ...
, with a final match 299 game against Steve Jones. He also holds, to this day, the PBA record for most single season victories, with eight titles in
1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...
. His seventh win of the 1978 season made Roth the youngest player (27 years, 126 days) to reach 15 PBA Tour titles, a distinction he still holds. Roth won the PBA Player of the Year award in three consecutive seasons (1977 through 1979), and won the honor again in 1984. In addition to his two majors, Roth and partner
Marshall Holman Marshall Holman (born September 29, 1954) is an American sports broadcaster and retired professional ten-pin bowler. He was known for his flamboyant, fiery demeanor and his success on the PBA Tour from the mid-1970s to the end of the 1980s. He ...
won their third PBA Doubles title in 1984. So dominant were the pair in doubles tournaments, the PBA has held an annual event since
2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...
called the Roth-Holman Doubles Championship. Roth is notable for having been the first bowler to pick up the 7–10 split on television, which he accomplished on January 5,
1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...
in the ARC Alameda Open at Mel's Southshore Bowl in
Alameda, California Alameda ( ; ; Spanish for "Avenue (landscape), tree-lined path") is a city in Alameda County, California, United States, located in the East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), East Bay region of the Bay Area. The city is built on an informal archipe ...
. Through 2024, he is still the only right-handed bowler to have converted the 7-10 on a PBA telecast. The feat has been accomplished three times since, all three times by left-handers. Roth captured his 33rd PBA Tour title in 1987, winning the Greater Buffalo Open at Thruway Lanes in Cheektowaga, New York. Roth then went through the longest title drought in his career before winning his 34th and final title, the 1995 IOF Foresters Open at Club 300 Bowl in
Markham, Ontario Markham () is a city in Regional Municipality of York, York Region, Ontario, Canada. It is approximately northeast of Downtown Toronto. In the Canada 2021 Census, 2021 Census, Markham had a population of 338,503, which ranked it the largest in ...
, Canada. Roth made his final television appearance in a PBA Tour event at the 1998 PBA Peoria Open, losing the opening match to
Tom Baker Thomas Stewart Baker (born 20 January 1934) is an English actor and writer. He is best known for having played the Fourth Doctor, fourth and longest-serving incarnation of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor in the science fiction television ...
, 265–190, to finish in fifth place. After reaching age 50, Roth captured two titles on the PBA Senior Tour (now the PBA50 Tour). In addition, he won one title on the short-lived Generations Bowling Tour in the 2006-07 season.


Awards and recognition

* Inducted into PBA Hall of Fame, 1987. * Inducted into USBC Hall of Fame, 2009. * Inducted into the
National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame The National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and Museum, in Commack, New York, is dedicated to honoring American Jewish figures who have distinguished themselves in sports. Its objective is to foster Jewish identity through athletics, and to commemo ...
, 2014.National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame induction
newsday.com; accessed June 4, 2017.
* Four-time winner of the
Chris Schenkel Christopher Eugene Schenkel (August 21, 1923 – September 11, 2005) was an American sportscaster. Over the course of five decades he called play-by-play for numerous sports on television and radio, becoming known for his smooth delivery and b ...
PBA Player of the Year award (1977, 1978, 1979, 1984). * Holds the PBA record with eight titles in a single season (1978). * Ranked #5 on the PBA's 2008 list of "50 Greatest Players of the Last 50 Years".


Career tour titles


PBA Tour Titles

Major championships are in bold text. # 1975 King Louie Open, Overland Park, Kansas. # 1976 Rolaids Open, Florissant, Missouri. # 1976 Columbia 300 Open, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. # 1976 Northern Ohio Open, Fairview Park, Ohio. # 1977 Showboat Invitational, Las Vegas, Nevada. # 1977 PBA Doubles Classic w/
Marshall Holman Marshall Holman (born September 29, 1954) is an American sports broadcaster and retired professional ten-pin bowler. He was known for his flamboyant, fiery demeanor and his success on the PBA Tour from the mid-1970s to the end of the 1980s. He ...
, San Jose, California. # 1977 Fresno Open, Fresno, California. # 1977 Southern California Open, Norwalk, California. # 1978 Miller Lite Classic, Torrance, California. # 1978 Quaker State Open, Grand Prairie, Texas. # 1978 King Louie Open, Overland Park, Kansas. # 1978 Greater Hartford Open, Windsor Locks, Connecticut. # 1978 City of Roses Open, Portland, Oregon. # 1978 San Jose Open, San Jose, California. # 1978 New England Open, Cranston, Rhode Island. # 1978 Brunswick Regional Champions Classic, Rochester, New York. # 1979 Rolaids Open, Florissant, Missouri. # 1979 King Louie Open, Overland Park, Kansas. # 1979 Columbia PBA Doubles Classic w/Marshall Holman, San Jose, California. # 1979 City of Roses Open, Portland, Oregon. # 1979 Kessler Classic, Greenwood, Indiana. # 1979 Lawsons Open, Fairview Park, Ohio. # 1980 Brunswick PBA Regional Champions Classic, Rochester, New York. # 1981 Showboat Invitational, Las Vegas, Nevada. # 1981 Lansing Open, Lansing, Michigan. # 1981 Columbia 300 Open, Fairview Park, Ohio. # 1983 Northern Ohio Open, Rocky River, Ohio. # 1984 U.S. Open, Oak Lawn, Illinois. # 1984 Showboat Doubles Classic w/Marshall Holman, Las Vegas, Nevada. # 1984 Greater Detroit Open, Dearborn Heights, Michigan. # 1984 Touring Players Championship, Charlotte, North Carolina. # 1987 Greater Buffalo Open, Cheektowaga, New York. # 1987 Number 7 PBA Invitational, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. # 1995 IOF Foresters Open, Markham, Ontario, Canada.


Post-career

Around 2002, Mark ran a bowling center in
Ellwood City, Pennsylvania Ellwood City is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough primarily in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, United States. With a small district extending into Beaver County, Pennsylvania, Beaver County, it lies along the Connoquenessing Creek just east of i ...
named "Mark Roth's Hall of Fame Lanes." This only lasted about six months, and the partnership dissolved. On June 4, 2009, Roth suffered a
stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...
, leaving him partially paralyzed on his left side. Following rehabilitation, he was seen in late March 2010 on his feet and moving around at the
GEICO The Government Employees Insurance Company (GEICO ) is an American vehicle insurance company headquartered in Chevy Chase, Maryland. In addition to auto insurance, GEICO provides motorcycle, ATV, RV, boat, snowmobile, travel, pet, event, hom ...
Mark Roth Plastic Ball Championship, a PBA Tournament named in his honor. He spent a week in intensive care after a heart attack in April 2019.


Personal life

Roth died on November 26, 2021, at the age of 70 in a hospital in Fulton, New York, due to
congestive heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to fill with and pump blood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF typically pr ...
and complications following a diagnosis of
pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...
. Roth is survived by his wife Denise, and by Stephanie, his daughter by his first wife. Stephanie is a figure skater. Denise resides in Fulton, New York. He was
Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...
ish.


Notes


External links


Mark Roth
at the
Professional Bowlers Association The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) is the major sanctioning body for the sport of professional ten-pin bowling in the United States. Headquartered in Mechanicsville, Virginia, and currently owned by the Lucky Strike Entertainment Corpor ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roth, Mark 1951 births 2021 deaths American ten-pin bowling players Sportspeople from Brooklyn Sportspeople from Staten Island Jewish American sportspeople People from Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn People from Fulton, Oswego County, New York 21st-century American Jews