Edward G. "Eddie" Elias was best known as the founder of the 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...

 (PBA).

Elias grew up in the 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...

, Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

 area, attended West High School, The University of Akron, Western Reserve Law School (now part of Case Western Reserve University

Case Western Reserve University

Case Western Reserve University is a private research university located in Cleveland, Ohio, USA...

). Elias was active in numerous sports during his high school and college years, including baseball and basketball.

Although Elias was not a bowler himself, in 1958 he founded the 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...

 with 33 founding members and turned the sport into one of the longest continuing sports series on network TV. He was elected to the PBA Hall of Fame in 1976 for Meritorious Service.

As an agent Elias, through his company Eddie Elias Enterprises, represented almost two dozen golfers in addition to basketball, football, bowling and auto racing stars, and numerous television personalities and sports commentators. The firms clients included golfers Chi Chi Rodriguez and Fuzzy Zoeller

Fuzzy Zoeller

Frank Urban "Fuzzy" Zoeller, Jr. is an American professional golfer. He is one of three golfers to have won The Masters in his first appearance in the event. He also won the 1984 U.S. Open, which earned him the 1985 Bob Jones Award....

, bowlers Dick Weber

Dick Weber

Dick Weber was a famous bowling professional and a founding member of the Professional Bowlers Association...

 and Don Carter

Don Carter (bowler)

Don Carter was a right-handed American professional bowler. Learning the game while working a childhood job as a pinsetter, Carter went on to become one of the legends of ten-pin bowling and a founding member of the Professional Bowlers Association in 1958. He was 6-time bowler of the year...

, consumer advocate Ralph Nader

Ralph Nader

Ralph Nader is an American political activist, as well as an author, lecturer, and attorney. Areas of particular concern to Nader include consumer protection, humanitarianism, environmentalism, and democratic government....

, and television stars Phil Donahue

Phil Donahue

Phillip John "Phil" Donahue is an American media personality, writer, and film producer best known as the creator and host of The Phil Donahue Show. The television program, also known as Donahue, was the first to use a talk show format. The show had a 26-year run on U.S...

 and Marlo Thomas

Marlo Thomas

Margaret Julia “Marlo” Thomas is an American actress, producer, and social activist known for her starring role on the TV series That Girl . She also serves as National Outreach Director for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital...

.