St. Louis Post-Dispatch

ST. LOUIS – Bowler Dick Weber, considered one of the all-time greats of the game both on and off the lanes, died in his sleep Sunday night at his home in Florissant, Mo. He was 75.

Weber went from being a postal clerk in Indianapolis to one of the most famous faces of bowling’s boom in the 1950s after he moved to St. Louis to join the legendary – and almost unbeatable – Budweiser team. He was one of the charter members of the Pro Bowlers Association tour, winning 26 events in his career, including 10 of the first 23 PBA tournaments. Through it all, his love of people and of the game made him one of the sport’s top ambassadors.

“He was one of the nicest people I’ve ever known,” said Don Carter, a teammate of Weber’s with Budweiser in the 1950s and ‘60s. “It will be a great loss. He’s probably done more for bowling than anyone ever has. In my mind, he’s the greatest bowler there ever was. He did it for 50 years. Compared to him, I was a flash in the pan. I’m going to miss him very much.”

“I’ve known Dick all my life,” said former bowler and TV analyst Nelson Burton Jr. “As far as a bowler, I don’t think anybody played the sport any better than he has. There was no one I feared more in my younger years than Dick Weber. . . . He had it all. When he walked into a room, it lit up. He was never boastful. He was on top of the heap at all times, and everyone liked him.”

Weber was famous not just in America but around the world. As a spokesman for AMF, the bowling equipment manufacturer, for 48 years, he traveled the world promoting bowling. Even after his PBA career ended, his popularity continued. He even made occasional appearances on David Letterman’s late-night show, where he would bowl at television sets, aquariums filled with eggs and stacks of plates.

On the lanes, Weber was among the best ever. In a 1999 poll by Bowling magazine to select the 20 best bowlers of the 20th century, Weber finished first. He won the BPAA All-Star tournament, the predecessor to the U.S. Open, four times and was named bowler of the year three times (1961, ‘63 and ‘65). He won the PBA Player of the Year award in 1965. His 26 PBA tour wins are tied for the seventh most. He undoubtedly would have won more, but the tour didn’t come into existence until he was 29. Among the bowlers ahead of him on the list is his son Pete, who has 31 titles.

Weber was elected to the American Bowling Congress Hall of Fame in 1970 and was part of the first class selected to the PBA Hall of Fame in 1975.

“Nobody is ever going to know who is the greatest bowler in history,” said John Archibald, the longtime bowling writer for the Post-Dispatch. “But he’s in the top three or four.”

Many of his contemporaries put him at the top.

“In my estimation, in our era, he was probably the greatest bowler of the era,” said Ray Bluth, a teammate of Weber’s on the Budweiser teams and a partner for four national doubles titles. “Dick just dominated in so many ways. And it wasn’t just his bowling ability, but his personality. He was a wonderful guy.

“In every sport, there are certain people who are truly gifted, who have the extra gravy on the potatoes,” said Burton. “He had an innate ability to win at any time, any place, in any bowling condition. That set him apart. . . . Dick was just a winner. All top players are winners, but not at his level. He was the best winner of my generation.”

He was also confident in his abilities. In 1962, recalls Bill Lillard, another former Budweiser teammate, Weber had won a tournament in Puerto Rico before heading to Florida for another event. “He told his wife (Juanita), ‘Buy a new dress, I’m going to win.’ ” Lillard recalled. “She did, and he did. That was his attitude. I’m going to win.”

In the early days of television, bowling was common on the airwaves, and Weber was one of the most popular players.

“I spoke with Chris (Schenkel, for years the voice of the PBA tour on ABC),” Burton said Monday, “and he said, ‘He’s the guy that made it all go for bowling and the TV show. He was our biggest star, and he helped perpetuate (the sport) for 33 years on national television.’ In that way, he’ll be missed.”

Weber was born Dec. 23, 1929. He held a variety of jobs in Indianapolis while making money on the side bowling. He met Juanita at a bowling center in Indianapolis in 1948, and the two married four months later.

“I bowled practically every night,” Weber said in a 1984 interview, “but I had a weird variety of jobs to keep us from going hungry. On-the-street photographer, screw-machine operator, bowling instructor, food salesman, pie-truck driver and, finally, postal clerk.”

In 1955, he was invited to join the Budweiser team, which paid him $3,600 a year plus a piece of what the team won in tournaments. Weber quickly became its anchorman.

“You can guess how long it took me to say yes when the Budweisers invited me to come to St. Louis and be on their team (and I) wouldn’t have to do anything but bowl and make exhibitions for the brewery,” he said. From there, Weber was a St. Louisan to stay. In 1957, he bought his home in Florissant and lived there until he died, turning his basement into a giant trophy case for his many honors.

In the days before the PBA Tour, team bowling was the big thing, and no team was bigger than Budweiser. In 1958, the Budweiser team of Weber, Carter, Bluth, Pat Patterson and Ray Hennessy set a five-man team record of 3,858 pins, a record that stood for more than 30 years. Weber’s contribution was a three-game series of 258-258-259 775.

Weber added four seniors titles and two doubles titles to his list of PBA wins, taking first in an event in Belleville in 1992 that gave him PBA titles in five decades. He continued to bowl and continued to make appearances around the world on behalf of AMF. He also stayed in contact with his old friends.

“I’m not in too good of condition,” Carter said from his home in Florida. “I haven’t been feeling well, but he would call me every week.”

Just last weekend, Weber attended the opening ceremonies of the ABC Championships Tournament in Baton Rouge, La.

“We went in for the afternoon session and did the opening that night,” Lillard said. “My wife, Dorothy, and I and Dick went to dinner, and we talked about the good old days. My wife asked him if he got tired (of all the travel) and he said, ‘I love it, I thrive on it.’ “

Weber is survived by his wife and four children, sons Richard, John and Pete and daughter Paula. Weber will be cremated, and there will be no memorial service. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame at 111 Stadium Plaza Drive, St. Louis, Mo. 63012.