Buzz Fazio
Encyclopedia
Known equally for his fierce competitiveness and audience pleasing theatrics, Fazio’s professional career spanned from the early 1940s to the late 1960s.
The six-time ABC (American Bowling Congress) and two-time PBA (Professional Bowlers Association
Professional Bowlers Association
The Professional Bowlers Association is the major sanctioning body for the sport of professional ten-pin bowling in the United States. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, the PBA membership consists of almost 4,300 members worldwide...
) champion began his career during bowling’s golden era of "Team" play.
Born in Aultman, Ohio, near Akron
Akron, Ohio
Akron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...
, Fazio was brought to Detroit in 1947 to join the fabled Stroh’s Beer Bowling Team. The diminutive Fazio, who stood but 5’ 3" and weighed near 140, captained Stroh’s for nine seasons and continued the team’s tradition for success started by his predecessor and fellow Hall-of-Famer Joe Norris.
During the 1950s, the Fazio led Stroh’s Beer squad, featuring Lee Jouglard, Tom Hennessy, Pete Carter, Tony Lindeman, and Ed Lubanski, captured numerous tournaments including the ABC Team Championships in 1952, 1953 and 1954.
In 1955, at age 47, Fazio won the ABC Masters Singles Championship; a feat he nearly duplicated 13 years later in 1968, when at age 60, he was runner-up to Pete Tountas. Fazio also teamed up with Stroh’s teammate Tony Lindeman to win the ABC Doubles Championship three times. (1951, 1952 & 1954)
During the 1950s, before the formation of the PBA, Fazio and his contemporaries competed on TV shows like Make that Spare, Bowling for Dollars and All-Star Bowling, the latter of which was hosted by Detroit legend Fred Wolf. Among the many bowling highlights in his career, Fazio was the first to roll an 800 series on live TV. (802) He also won seven consecutive televised matches in Chicago in 1955.
In 1957, Fazio left the Stroh’s team and moved to St. Louis to form the Falstaff Beer Team.
During the 1958 ABC Tournament held in Syracuse, NY, Fazio attended a meeting at the Hotel Syracuse. Sixty men including Don Carter
Don Carter
Don Carter may refer to:*Don Carter *Don Carter , basketball entrepreneur*Don Carter...
, Frank Esposito, Dick Weber
Dick Weber
Dick Weber was a famous bowling professional and a founding member of the Professional Bowlers Association...
, Carmen Salvino
Carmen Salvino
Carmen Salvino is a professional ten-pin bowler and a founding member of the Professional Bowlers Association . Salvino won 17 PBA Tour titles –- among them the 1962 PBA National Championship. He also won two PBA Senior Tour titles, including the 1984 Senior National Championship...
, Billy Welu
Billy Welu
Billy Welu was a famous professional bowler, executive for the Professional Bowlers Association , bowling broadcaster, and a great ambassador for the sport. A founding member of the PBA, he won four PBA titles, including two ABC Masters championships...
, Steve Nagy, Harry Smith
Harry Smith
Harry Smith may refer to:* Sir Harry Smith, 1st Baronet , British soldier* Harry Smith , British politician in Falkirk Burghs* Harry Smith , Canadian* Harry B...
, Ray Bluth, Dick Hoover
Dick Hoover
Dick Hoover was an American professional bowler. He won two American Bowling Congress Masters titles in 1956 and 1957, and helped start the PBA in 1958 with founder Eddie Elias....
, and Junie McMahon attended. They were there to listen to an Akron attorney named Eddie Elias
Eddie Elias
Edward G. "Eddie" Elias was best known as the founder of the Professional Bowlers Association ....
speak about starting a Professional Bowlers Association. After listening to his proposal, thirty-three of the men, including the “Buzzer” each contributed $1,650 to start the organization and the PBA was then formed.
Fazio captured a pair of PBA titles in the 1960s. His win in Sacramento, California
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
in 1965, at the age of 56, made him at the time the oldest man to capture a PBA Tour championship. That record stood until 1994, when PBA star John Handegard
John Handegard
John Handegard is a professional ten-pin bowler who has spent time on both the PBA Tour and the PBA Senior Tour. He is the all-time leader in Senior Tour titles with 14, and is a three-time PBA Senior Player of the Year . On January 24, 2009, Handegard became the first inductee into the...
eclipsed the mark by winning the PBA Northwest Classic at age 57 years, 139 days.
Fazio's bowling accomplishments earned him enshrinement in both the ABC and PBA Halls-of-Fame.
After retiring from competition, Fazio continued to represent the Brunswick Corporation
Brunswick Corporation
The Brunswick Corporation , formerly known as the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company, is a United States-based corporation that has been involved in manufacturing a wide variety of products since 1845. Brunswick's global headquarters is in the northern Chicago suburb of Lake Forest, Illinois...
as he had for many years as a player. He hosted the PBA Buzz Fazio Open in Battle Creek, MI and in 1973, served as PBA President.
Though slowed by injuries related to an auto accident and subsequent surgeries, Fazio remained involved in the bowling community during retirement. He often participated in local bowling leagues and served as coach and instructor throughout the 1980s and up until his death at age 85 in 1993.