About Bill

Bill has had much success on and off the lanes in the bowling industry. Below are some of the highlights of his bowling career.
BIRTHDATE: October 19, 1949
HEIGHT: 6' 0" WEIGHT: 195
HOME: Vernon Hills, Illinois
MARITAL STATUS: Married Barbara L. Urbanek,
       September. 6, 1980
CHILDREN: Robert James, August 31, 1981; and
       James William, April 8, 1987

PBA Highlights

PBA member since 1973, Touring Pro from 1973-1985
3 National PBA Titles – 1977 New England Ebonite BowlMaster Open, Cranston, RI
                                      1978 Miller High Life Syracuse Open, Syracuse, NY
                                      1980 City of Roses Open, Portland, OR
9 Regional PBA Titles, including 1980 Eastern Region Tournament of Champions
2nd US Open, 1977
7th Masters, 1978
2nd Masters, 1979
Member of the PBA Executive Board 1979-1985
PBA Image Committee Chairman 1981-1985
PBA Commissioner's Pick, 2004 Chicago Open
 

USBC Tournament Highlights

1st Regular Team All-Events (Pollard's Bowl), 1996 2,068 – 10,425
(USBC record)
2nd Classic All-Events, 1977 1,932
2nd Regular Team (Pollard's Bowl), 1994 654 – 3,255
3rd Regular Team (Pollard's Bowl), 2011 655 – 3,420
3rd Regular Doubles (Don Scudder), 1997 693 – 1,440
4th Classic Team (Connie's Macaroni), 1974 665 – 2,952
4th Regular Team (Pollard's Bowl), 1995 688 – 3,329
5th Classic All-Events, 1974 2,065
5th Classic Team (Shur Hooks), 1975 589 – 2,905
5th Regular Team (Pollard's Bowl), 1997 705 – 3,312
6th Classic Singles, 1979 693
7th Regular Team (Pollard's Bowl), 1989 707 – 3,333
10th Classic Doubles (Dennis Lane), 1977 638 – 1,259
18th Regular Doubles (Bill Pollard, Sr.), 1988 685 – 1,299
20th Regular Doubles (Don Scudder), 1996 775 – 1,429
29th person to achieve 100,000 pinfall in the USBC Open Championships in 2023 in my 55th year of participation  
   

USBC Titles, Other Titles and Awards

Elected to United States Bowling Congress Hall of Fame, 2001
Elected to Illinois Bowling Hall of Fame, 1999  
Elected to Connecticut Bowling Hall of Fame, 1992  
Elected to New Haven County Bowling Hall of Fame, 1992
Elected to Lake County Bowling Hall of Fame, 1999  
Elected to Chicagoland Bowling Hall of Fame, 2009  
Elected to NEBA Hall of Fame, 2017
New Haven County Bowler of the Year, 1969 and 1973  
Lake County Bowling Association Senior Bowler of the Year, 2011  
Lake County Bowling Association All-County Team, 2011  
IHSA Boys' Bowling Coach of the Year, 2019-20 Season  
24 – 1st place finishes in USBC County tournaments in Connecticut and Illinois
2nd Team BOWLING magazine All-American, 1977  
4 Connecticut Bowler's Association Titles  
5 New England Bowler's Association Titles  
1st Bowlers Journal Doubles (Tim Cornelio), 1986 717 – 1,425
2nd Bowlers Journal Mixed Doubles (Kathy Wodka), 1986 737 – 1,377
2nd Bowlers Journal Senior Doubles (Don Scudder), 2016 651 – 1,310
1st John Vargo Classic Singles, 1976 996
1st John Vargo Classic Doubles (Pete Couture), 1976 585 – 1,119
2nd John Vargo Classic Singles, 1980 986
38 – 300 Games; 3 Sport 300 Games (in 23 different bowling centers)
18 – 299 Games; 1 Sport 299 Game  
6 – 800 Series (825 high)  
242.17 – High Average for 72 games in 1987-88 season.  (USBC record at the time)
 

Other Non-Competitive Highlights

Bowlers Journal Magazine's "100 Top Coaches" since 2006
Head Teaching Pro, Professional Bowling Camps, 1980-1990
Teaching Pro, Bowling This Month's Super School, 1996 & 1997
Head Teaching Pro, Institute of Professional Bowling Instruction, 1998
Board of Directors International Bowling Pro Shop and Instructors Association, 1992-1994
Performance Coach of Vernon Hills High School Boy's Bowling Team, 2003-2019
      IHSA State Tournament – 2nd Place – 2020; 2nd Place – 2012;
      2nd Place – 2011; 3rd Place – 2006
Head Coach of Vernon Hills High School Boy's Bowling Team, since 2020
Secretary, Treasurer, Vice-President, President, Chicagoland BPAA, 2003-2007
USBC Bronze Level Coach, 1991
USBC Silver Level Coach, 1997
USBC Gold Level Coach, 2000
Gold Level Coach Review Committee since 2001
USA Bowling Coaching Team since 2011
Coaching Specialist, International Art of Bowling, 2014-2017
Team USA Assistant Coach since 2017
USBC Hall-of-Fame Review Committee since 2005, Chairman 2010-2012
Color Commentary for ESPN Cable TV, 1980
Color Commentary for Cablenet Cable TV, 1984
Author – "Bill Spigner's Pro's Corner"
       weekly column for The Chicago Bowler newspaper from 1985-1990
Author – "Bill Spigner's Bowling Clinic"
       instructional column for Bowling Digest magazine from 1983-2004
       articles rewritten and printed in TenPin Alley from 2010-2012
Author – "The Pro Approach" for Bowlers Journal magazine since 2008
Member of the Bowling Writer's Association of America, since 1983
Owner of “Bill Spigner's Pro's Corner” Pro Shop, 1985-2003
Proprietor, Hawthorn Lanes, Vernon Hills, IL, 1989-2008
Member of Storm Hall of Fame Staff, since 2014
Member of Brunswick Staff of Champions, 2004-2014
Member of Columbia 300 Staff, 2001-2004
Member of I AM Bowling powered by Logo Infusion Staff, since 2021
Member of Turbo Grips Professional Staff, since 2014
Coach at Turbo Tech Collegiate Expo, 2015-2019
Member of Vise Grip Staff, 2008-2014
Awarded BPAA Golden Pin Award for Customer Service/Retention, 2004
Mid-America Bowling Writers Sam Weinstein Distinguished Service Award, 2008