Image courtesy the Wilson family

Roland ‘Red’ Wilson got the Phoenix bowling industry rolling with two businesses and star power to spare.

Back in the 1940s, when Phoenix was still considered a small town, one of the “in’’ places to be was a bowling alley, and the player to see was Roland “Red” Wilson.

His killer bowling technique and outgoing personality made him a local celebrity, sports page regular, comic strip character and even an ad campaign attraction. Dubbed “Mr. Bowling,” Wilson played for 65 years, won more than 30 major titles and became a Hall of Famer. But when he passed away in Phoenix last February at age 93, his legacy included not only trophies and titles but accolades like mentor and role model.

“He had a million friends…. He was always ready to talk with someone,” recalls Leslie Wilson, his wife of 66 years and bowling companion, who lives in Phoenix. “He never knew a stranger.”

Because of that, Red Wilson gladly counseled any player who asked for help, organized bowling leagues, kept young boys out of trouble with the lure of bowling and did whatever else he could to promote the sport.

As a young red-headed boy growing up in Phoenix, Wilson’s first love was actually softball, says Glenna Guy, his sister. But bowling was becoming increasingly popular in the city and Wilson, a natural athlete, instantly had a knack for it.

“Bowling came pretty easy for me when I started in 1936,” Wilson told a Phoenix Gazette reporter in a 1986 interview.

By day, Wilson ran a grocery store to earn a living, but by night, he worked at perfecting his game. He started dominating city tournaments, and his average score climbed to 200.

Over the years, Wilson triumphed again and again: He was a 16-time champion in the Phoenix city bowling tournament; a singles and doubles champ four times in the Arizona state tournament; and inducted into the Arizona Bowling Hall of Fame in 1967. He also rolled a 300 in a sanctioned game and helped organize the first American Bowling Congress.

At the time he was named to the Hall of Fame, Wilson had 32 years of sanctioned play under his belt and averaged over 200 in league play several times.

“He never bragged about himself… it was just a matter of fact with him,” says Leslie Wilson.

Photo courtesy the Wilson family Roland “Red” Wilson (bottom right) with bowling group

During his bowling career, Wilson also went into the bowling business. In 1950, he and business partner/fellow bowler Jim Thurmond opened Southern Lanes in south Phoenix. In advance of the opening, the now-defunct Phoenix Gazette ran a big story about the plans for the eight-lane bowling alley, complete with architectural renderings and photos of the smiling bowlers.

The bowling alley had the usual amenities, but Wilson added something new. When he heard customers complaining that their bowling balls sat uncomfortably on their fingers, he would re-drill the holes to create a custom fit.

By 1956, Red and Leslie Wilson were ready for a new challenge, so they opened Red Wilson’s Bowling Supply in central Phoenix, near Central and Southern avenues. They operated the popular business for more than two decades.

Wilson’s sphere of influence in the community continuously grew. He organized bowling leagues for school children and organized the Valley’s Chinese Bowling League. He also sponsored countless teams over the decades.

“He just wanted to get people bowling,” says Noelle Wilson, his granddaughter by marriage, who lives in Phoenix.

Wilson also took young boys under his wing, using bowling as a way to keep them out of trouble.

Family members recall one story in which a boy set off firecrackers inside Wilson’s bowling alley. As punishment, the boy was banned from the place for a year but showed up daily hoping to get inside. Wilson didn’t give in, but he didn’t give up on the boy and mentored him after the ban ended.

Over the years, Wilson’s popularity made him a media darling of sorts. Local sports writers followed Wilson’s rise with headlines reading “Wilson sizzles” and “Arizona’s Mr. Bowling.”

Cartoonists also slipped Wilson into their comic strips. In an undated Biff Buff strip in The Arizona Republic, a man and woman are shown sitting in an opera box. The man has dozed off and the woman, clearly annoyed, says, “Well, I stay awake when I have to watch you bowl for two hours in the Red Wilson Invitational.”

An advertising campaign in The Bowling Proprietor magazine featured a full-page picture of Wilson in action. It read, “Meet one of Arizona’s Top Stars. Of course, he rolls.” Manhattan Rubber touted its bowling ball as the “ball of champions” and, naturally, Red’s only choice.

In 1964, Wilson hit it big when he rolled a sanctioned 300 game at Papago Lanes in Scottsdale. The Republic ran a photo of Wilson receiving a $300 U.S. Savings Bond from the bowling alley owner, and Republic writer Abe Gutierrez detailed the feat in a column called Pin Points, declaring Wilson “Mr. Bowling of Phoenix… known by all the 30,000 league bowlers in the Valley.”

Asked how he felt at the 12th frame, Wilson said, “If I was nervous, I didn’t feel it. I was concentrating so much, it seemed as if I was in a vacuum.”

True to form, Wilson was quick to thank well-wishers. “People have been so genuinely warm with their congratulations,” he told Gutierrez.

Although never one to boast, he acknowledged the accomplishment to Gutierrez. “A 300 game is in a class all by itself.”

Wilson bowled well into his senior years, averaging 183 in 52 games at age 70. As his bowling career slowed down he took up golf, and daughter Susan carried on the family bowling tradition as a city and state champion.

“Bowling was good to us,” says Leslie Wilson.