15 Facts About Carmen Salvino

Carmen Salvino won two PBA Senior Tour titles, including the 1984 Senior National Championship.

Carmen Salvino was born in Chicago, Illinois, on November 23,1933, to Michael and Philomena Carmen Salvino.

Carmen Salvino has two brothers, Joseph and Richard, and a sister, Phylis, they lived on the city's west side until the age of 5.

In 1945, at the age of 11, Salvino was introduced to bowling when he was walking down a street in his west-side neighborhood and noticed a bowling pin lying on the ground outside the Amalgamated Center located at 333 S Ashland.

Piquing his interest, Carmen Salvino walked inside the building and talked to a man who oversaw the bowling lanes.

The first ball Carmen Salvino ever threw was a strike, and it was there, at the Amalgamated Center, that a legend was born.

Carmen Salvino attended Crane Tech High School on Chicago's west side.

At the age of 16, Carmen Salvino was averaging 203, and at 17, he joined his high school's first bowling team and averaged 211.

Carmen Salvino then became the youngest bowler ever to compete in The Chicago Classic League, a renowned area competition, and earned the nickname "Chicago's Boy Wonder".

Carmen Salvino married his wife Virginia Morelli on May 17,1956.

In 1954, Carmen Salvino won his first ABC title; a team event with the renowned squad Tri-Par Radio.

Carmen Salvino continued to win PBA Tour titles through the 1970s, including two in the 1975 season in which he defeated Earl Anthony in the championship match both times.

Carmen Salvino has made a number of memorable marks on the sport of bowling throughout his eight decades : champion, Hall-of-Famer, showman, entertainer, bowling health enthusiast, and bowling ball scientist in the areas of physics and chemistry.

Carmen Salvino served the PBA in various capacities, including executive board and tournament committee positions, plus one term as PBA president.

Carmen Salvino is known for his trademark showmanship and colorful behavior on and off the lanes.