THE HISTORY OF ST. JOE'S BOWLING
The journey of St. Joe’s Varsity Bowling started in the 1970-71 season. With Head
Coach Al Simmons leading the way since its humble beginnings, the program has seen prosperous growth, as well as success and prominence in the Monsignor Martin League. The following list of championships only further solidifies the excellence with which St. Joe’s Bowling has performed over the past 38 years:
Monsignor Martin League Championships |
1973-74 |
1984-85 |
1986-87 |
1987-88 |
1988-89 |
1989-90 |
1990-91 |
1993-94 |
1994-95 |
1995-96 |
1996-97 |
1998-99 |
2001-02 |
2002-03 |
2006-07 |
All-Catholic Titles |
1992-93 |
1993-94 |
1998-99 |
1999-00 |
2002-03 |
2005-06 |
2006-07 |
Western NY Invitational Tournament | |
1st Place | 1985 & 2004 |
3rd Place | 1992-93 |
4th Place | 1986 |
In addition to the above mentioned honors, St. Joe’s Varsity Bowling won the Maryvale Tournament in 1995 and took a second place finish in the 1994 Festival of Lights Tournament.
It is important to recognize the bowlers who work their way up to the varsity as well. Monsignor Martin Junior Varsity Bowling began in 1978 and since then, St. Joe’s has captured 21 JV titles. Twelve JV bowlers have had the high average and nine have had high series.
The idea of “team” is a very important concept in a sport like bowling, where in any given match it is up to a group of bowlers to get enough pins to win. Within any team sport, however, it is important to recognize great individual performers who play a significant role on the team and in the league. St. Joe’s Varsity Bowlers have earned All-Catholic honors 58 times over 38 years and 43 of those have come from different bowlers. Also, St. Joe’s has sent 8 bowlers to the New York State All-Catholic Tournament since the tournament’s inception 5 years ago.
Quite possibly the most impressive achievement comes from St. Joe’s Head Coach Simmons. Over his tenure as coach, Mr. Simmons has racked up over 1000 victories. With the expected turnover of high school athletes due to graduation and the varying levels of skill among those athletes, it is a credit to Coach Simmons’ ability as a leader and mentor that has allowed the program to become what it is today.
It is hard to argue with numbers and these numbers present an amazingly strong argument in favor of St. Joe’s. If history repeats itself, St. Joe’s has a number of great years to come.
