Johnny Petraglia

Who is Johnny Petraglia?

Johnny Petraglia was born in Brooklyn, New York, and now hails from Jackson, New Jersey. He is best known as a left-handed bowler and member of the Professional Bowlers Association, where he won 14 tour titles. He has also won eight Senior PBA Tour titles. He is a member of both the PBA and USBC Halls of Fame.

Petraglia joined the PBA in 1965, and won his first tour title at Fort Smith, Arkansas in 1966 when he was just 19 years old. A week later, Petraglia left the PBA Tour to join the United States Army during the Vietnam War. He served as an Army Spec 5 in Long Binh and Bien Hoa from 1967-68.

His best season as a pro came in 1971, when he won five titles in all. That year included consecutive wins in the last three tournaments of the season—culminated by a major championship in the Firestone Tournament of Champions. Petraglia would win two more majors: the 1977 BPAA U.S. Open and 1980 PBA National Championship, making him one of only six players to earn the PBA career "Triple Crown." The 1980 event featured one of the more dramatic final matches in major tournament history, as Petraglia rolled four consecutive strikes in the 9th and 10th frames to secure the victory.