Pat Mitchell was inducted into the OTBA (Ontario Ten Pin Bowling Association) Hall of Fame, posthumously, in the category of Distinguished Performance on June 27, 2021.

Pat was a very prominent member of the bowling community for 70 years. He was a very likeable guy to everyone who interacted with him. Pat was very meticulous with his figures. In addition to him bowling in multiple leagues, he served as secretary or secretary/treasurer of multiple men’s bowling leagues at the same time. For the Chrysler Employees League he was their league secretary from 1964-2019 until he passed away in September of that year. Mitchell indicated to a reporter “I probably would not go bowling if I did not look after the averages.” Bowlers felt that Mitchell has run the Chrysler league better than any secretary they have ever been associated with. Pat was very efficient, never late and gave the bowlers plenty of detail. He always initiated changes and improvements to make the league run smoother for the bowlers.

William Mitchell indicated “His dad was very humble. I remember asking him if he ever got a 700 series and he responded with, I’ve had a few, then he would change the subject. If you mentioned how well he bowled that night, he would tell you about how someone bowled better. He loved making the others look amazing and he wanted everyone to enjoy the game of bowling.”

His son also remembers his father complaining about how people were taking the game so seriously that they were missing out on the relationships, so he changed his secretarial style. Instead of a one-page printout telling people the scores, placings, and averages, Pat made a 10-12 page booklet every week. It would show pictures, cartoons, and jokes. Bowlers loved it! William indicated “The laughter and the conversations these score sheets would cause made my dad work even harder, but he loved it and did this for three leagues for almost 20 years.”

Pat began his career as a Pin Boy at Leamington Recreation while attending High School.

Mitchell was also a Benefit Analyst at Chrysler Canada. Besides stepping into executive positions in leagues, Pat proved himself to be a very accomplished bowler. In the early 80’s he carried a 188 average in the Chrysler league and a 190 average in the Rose Bowl league. The best average he carried was a 209 back in the early 60’s in the old Rose Bowl Classic league. At the time he bowled in three leagues, but as he got older, he just bowled in the Chrysler league.

He joined company with Tony Chibi and Lou Matassa and formed a group they called the Leamington Connection back in the sixties. They became the three strongest bowlers from southern Ontario at the time. Mitchell indicated “I started bowling with Chibi, Matassa, Arnold Veldhuizen, Joe Lampricht and some guy named Wigle.” Pat and Lou later came to Windsor to bowl with Andy Garlatti at Crescent Lanes.

Later Mitchell put together a Bali-Hi Motor Hotel sponsored team consisting of Rene Tremblay, Sandy Balint, Casey Impens, Tony Chibi, Lou Matassa, and himself. Eddie Robichaud took Sandy Balint’s place when he stopped bowling. This team bowled together for about a decade. The year after Robichaud died the team broke up but Lou and Pat continued to bowl together.

Pat and his bowling buddies made numerous trips to Toronto and Montreal to bowl in tournaments. He also became a part-time professional bowler who frequently travelled to the USA to bowl in tournaments.

Mitchell admitted that if the PBA tour had been in existence some 30 years ago, he might have taken a crack at the Professional tour. It would have been a challenge. Mitchell loved bowling back in the 60’s because he had some good memories of the Canadian tour of which he was an active participant. In those days he would often pack a few sandwiches and a couple bottles of pop then drive to Montreal to bowl in tournaments. Pat indicated “I remember they had a Centennial tournament in Montreal in 1967. I didn’t know how good the competition was until I got there but I finished second. A guy named Clare Prevost from New York State won.” Pat won a PBA National Singles title in Buffalo. He also made an appearance on Fred Wolf’s “Beat the Champ” show where he lost a close three game series to Billy Golembiewski.

Pat won the Molson Master Classic tournament in 1963. He would also find himself to be a TV finalist and a runner up on numerous other occasions. Pat participated in the Molson Masters for approximately 40 years.

He was inducted to the Windsor Essex Bowling Association Hall of Fame in 1985 for Superior Performance.

Even though lane and ball conditions have changed through the years Mitchell still bowled the same way as he always did from the start of his bowling career. Pat indicated to a reporter, “I have thrown a full roller ever since I have been bowling. Conditions really do not affect me that much. I don’t concern myself with lanes like a lot of bowlers do. I try to learn to practise based on how the alleys are dressed and take it from there.”

Shortly after he passed away, on a Tuesday night, members of the local bowling community came together at Rose Bowl Lanes to hold a 500-pin salute, with someone on every lane in the alley throwing a ball down each lane simultaneously.

Pat made his mark on the bowling community over the years, so it is truly an honour to write this article covering his numerous bowling achievements and his long bowling service to numerous bowlers over the years.

Would like to thank Windsor Star writers C. Thompson, J. Greswell, K. Fathers and his son William Mitchell for providing the information to share Pat’s life story.

SUMMARY OF ACHIEVEMENTS

Highest Average 209 in 1961-62

Lowest Average 177 in 1956-57

Best Mean Avg. 203.64 Composite for 3 leagues 1961-62

Highest Single 300 game in 1964

Highest Triple 746 in 1967 with 20 “700” series bowled on record

Started Bowling 1949 or earlier

Last Year Bowling 2015 – he was a substitute that rarely bowled following seasons

Team Awards Played on 3 teams that broke Canadian Bowling Team records 7 times

Grand Terrace Ontario Provincial Team Champions 1964-65

Singles Awards Windsor-Essex Bowler of Year 59-60, 60-61, 61-62, 62-63, 64-65

Windsor-Essex All-Star Team (top 5 bowlers) 59-60, 62-67

Canadian PBA Bowler of Year 1965

Canadian PBA All-Star Team (top 5 bowlers) 1963-66

Molson Masters – Windsor – Champion 1963

Molson Masters – Windsor – Runner-Up 1964, 68, 72

Molson Masters – Windsor – Final Four 1974, 76

Molson Masters – participate in tournament 40+ times

PBA Syracuse Open Singles Champion 1965, 66

Canadian Bowling Classic 1st Place – Laurentian Lanes, Montreal QB

Windsor Essex Bowling Association Hall of Fame 1985

Missing Info There is missing data from international leagues he bowled in.

He participated in these leagues for several years.

But there are no records for scores bowled in these leagues.

Work Pin Boy 1944-48 at Leamington Recreation

Manager/Asst. Manager Bowlero, Rose Bowl, Crescent 1959-64

Clinician for bowling and league help 1959-2019

League Service League Secretary – Park Lanes House Leagues 1959-61

Director Windsor-Essex Bowling Association 1962

International Bowling Association Board Member 1971

ABC Representative – Essex County 1960-2019

Secretary Chrysler Employees 1964-2019 (Sept)

Secretary/Treasurer Bowlero Major Hdcp 1973-2005

Secretary/Treasurer Rose Bowl Classic Major Hdcp 1971-2013

Secretary/Treasurer Super Bowl Major Hdcp 1989-2010

Youth Bowling Coach – Club 240 1972-78