George Branham
On this date in 1986, George Branham became the first Black person to win a Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) championship. He defeated Mark Roth from Detroit in Glendale Heights, Illinois.
He had bowled since he was six and joined the PBA at age 24. Branham won five major titles in 17 years as a professional bowler, including the sport's highest honor, the Tournament of Champions. He also rolled 23 games with a perfect score of 300 and earned $747,138 in prize money.
When he retired from the game in 2004, he remained one of the world's top contenders and was still the only black bowler to become a PBA champion.
