Adler, Durbin to join USBC Hall of Fame in 2016

Matt Cannizzaro
USBC Communications
Published: December 30, 2015 | Bowl.com

ARLINGTON, Texas – Kim Adler of Melbourne, Florida, and Mike Durbin of Hollywood, California, have been elected to the United States Bowling Congress Hall of Fame in the Superior Performance category.

The two were among eight bowlers (six men and two women) on the national ballot elected to the 2016 USBC Hall of Fame class by a USBC panel of veteran bowling writers, hall of famers and board members.

The 2016 USBC Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place April 28 in Las Vegas as part of the USBC Convention.

Adler and Durbin, along with three inductees elected in November by the USBC Hall of Fame Committee, will comprise the 2016 USBC Hall of Fame class.

Adler, 48, is a 16-time Professional Women’s Bowling Association winner. Her victories came between 1993 and 2003, and her last three titles were at the St. Clair Classic in Fairview Heights, Illinois, in 2000, 2002 and 2003.

She was the runner-up for PWBA Player of the Year in 1993 and earned her lone major victory at the U.S. Women’s Open in 1999. She also owns four PWBA regional titles.

Adler’s success extended to the biggest stage in women’s bowling, the USBC Women’s Championships, where she won Classic All-Events in 2004. She has 11 additional top-10 finishes at the Women’s Championships, including a second-place finish in Classic Singles in 2004 and a runner-up effort at the 2002 USBC Queens.

Durbin, who now lives in Texas, was a dominant player on the PBA Tour in the 1960s, 70s and 80s, collecting 14 titles, including PBA Tournament of Champions wins in 1972, 1982 and 1984 to become the event’s first three-time winner.

He won two events on the way to PBA Rookie of the Year honors in 1967 and was elected to the PBA Hall of Fame in 1984. He also owns six PBA regional titles.

The 74-year-old right-hander earned the No. 22 spot among the 50 Greatest Players in PBA History, announced in 2009.

Durbin also won a Classic Team title at the USBC Open Championships (1969) and had a fourth-place finish at the USBC Masters in 1975.

Also on the Superior Performance ballot this year were David Ozio and Mark Williams, Beaumont, Texas; Randy Pedersen, Clermont, Florida; Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas; and Danny Wiseman, Baltimore. Tammy Turner of West Palm Beach, Florida, was the other player on the women’s ballot.

In addition to Adler and Durbin, the five-member hall-of-fame class for 2016 includes two-time Open Championships titlist Steve Kloempken of Pleasant View, Utah, in the Outstanding USBC Performance Category, Professional Bowlers Association senior standout Harry Sullins of Chesterfield Township, Michigan, in the Veterans category and Joan Romeo of Van Nuys, California, in Meritorious Service.

Through 2015, there are 412 members of the USBC Hall of Fame – 215 in Superior Performance, 116 in Meritorious Service, 49 in Veterans, 20 in Pioneers and 12 in Outstanding USBC Performance.

The USBC Hall of Fame was created in 2005 by merging the former American Bowling Congress and Women’s International Bowling Congress Halls of Fame.

For more information on the USBC Hall of Fame, visit BOWL.com/HallofFame.