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Andy Varipapa

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Andy Varipapa in 1934.

Andy Varipapa (March 31, 1891 – August 25, 1984) was a professional and trick bowler. He became famous around the world for his trick bowling shots.[1]

Life and career

Varipapa was born Andrea Varipapa in Carfizzi,[2] a small Arbëreshë comune in the Calabria region of Italy,[2] the son of Francesco and Concetta (née Fuoco) Varipapa. After his father's death, he and his family moved to the United States in 1903, where they settled in Brooklyn, New York City.[3]

As a teenager, he worked as a delivery boy, pinboy, subway switchman, and in a soap factory.[4] He first bowled at the Fraternity Hall alleys in Williamsburg in 1914 and practiced by emulating the game of a local up-and-comer, James Melillo. Andy made a good choice. After Melillo changed his name to Jimmy Smith, by 1906, he was World's Champion.[4]

Varipapa became a well-known bowler in Brooklyn, but was disillusioned by the seedier aspects of the sport. He wanted to earn money from his talent, not from gambling.[5] Without big-money tournaments, head-to-head matches were the only way for bowlers to make a living. He quit bowling for a time and turned his attention to baseball, and later boxing. He competed under the pseudonym "Andy Bell," believing it was a more suitable name for an athlete.[6] Unfortunately, his baseball and boxing dreams ended when he was hit by a truck riding a bicycle during one of New York's many transit strikes in 1919.[7] His broken left leg was always shorter than the right and Varipapa walked with a limp for the rest of his life.

While working as a switchman on the Brooklyn Bridge, Varipapa took night courses at Pratt Institute and became a machinist. After working briefly at Remington UMC in Hoboken, he landed a job at the Brooklyn Navy Yard just as the U.S. entered World War I in 1917.[8] After being laid off in 1921, he worked for a time selling insurance, but later leased a billiards room at the Empire Bowling and Billiards Academy in Bushwick.[9] With 10 bowling alleys next door, Andy began to practice and hone his game. In 1926, brothers Ed and Jim Lawler hired Varipapa to manage their new bowling business in Stuyvesant Heights, and over the next several years, Andy became one of the top bowlers in New York City. He bowled the first of his 78 300 games on March 28, 1927, and during the next two seasons captured the Brooklyn Alley Owners Individual, Long Island Individual, and Brooklyn Alley Owners Doubles titles.[10]

Varipapa was considered to be "the greatest one-man bowling show on Earth"[1] because of his array of exhibition rolls, such as a "boomerang ball" that Varipapa would slowly roll down the lane, only to have it return. He was famous for his ability to convert splits and, astoundingly, could regularly convert the 7-10 split by rolling one ball from each hand, simultaneously. A film shows the balls crossing paths before meeting the pins. He made many demonstration short films over his career, including 1934's Strikes and Spares with Sally McKee and Buster Brodie.

Beyond his trick shot exhibitions, Varipapa was a solid professional bowler. In 1947, at the age of 56, he won the prestigious BPAA All-Star competition (predecessor to the U.S. Open) in a grueling 100 game format,[1] making him the oldest winner ever.[1] He became the first to win two years in a row when he repeated in 1948 in spite of a dramatic comeback by Joe Wilman, who had won the All-Star in 1946. In 1949, Varipapa came close to a three-peat, finishing second to winner Connie Schwoegler of Madison, Wisconsin.[1]

He was inducted into the USBC (United States Bowling Congress) Hall of Fame in 1957.

Varipapa lived to be 93 years old and was an active bowler well into old age. At the age of 78, he taught himself to bowl left-handed, as his right hand was giving him difficulties. Within two years he averaged 180, a testament to his skills and longevity.

The "Andy Varipapa 300" game was so-named after Andy joked that a string of 12 consecutive strikes spanning two games should count as a 300.[11]

In 1950, he published the pamphlet Better Bowling, which was expanded two years later into Andy Varipapa's Quick Way to Better Bowling (Garden City Books).

Personal life

During his lifetime Varipapa was also known as "The Greek", a clear reference to his Arbëreshë ancestry.[12][13]

Varipapa died on August 25, 1984, at the age of 93.[14]

References

  • Bowlers Journal 2011 Year Review
  • PBA 1997 Press Guide
  1. ^ a b c d e Weiskopf, Herman (1978). The Perfect Game. Time, Inc. pp. 64, 78. ISBN 0-13-657015-1.
  2. ^ a b "Andy Varipapa, il campione di bowling partito da Carfizzi | ilCrotonese.it, tutte le notizie e la cronaca della provincia di Crotone". Archived from the original on 2014-03-20. Retrieved 2012-10-10.
  3. ^ Barkan, Rhonda (April 6, 1978). "Life is Just a Bowl of Tricks: And Andy Has Done Them All!". Observer (Northport, NY). p. 3. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Hinteroff, John F. (February 2, 1947). "He Couldn't Make the Dodgers but Became 'King of Keglers'". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. pp. E1, E5. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  5. ^ Altshul, Jack (March 31, 1972). "Andy Varipapa at 81". Newsday (Garden City, NY). p. 42. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
  6. ^ Van Fleet, Bill (May 30, 1950). "At 69, He's Still Hot Bowling Name". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. pp. sec. 3, 15. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
  7. ^ Archibald, John J. (October 26, 1976). "Andy Varipapa: Rolling at 85". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. pp. 7J. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
  8. ^ Ruffolo, Lorraine V. (1960). "The Andy Varipapa Story," unpublished manuscript, pp, p-3.
  9. ^ Armijo, Pat (October 27, 1974). "82-Year-Old Trick Bowler Visits City". Albuquerque Journal. pp. E-8. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  10. ^ "Andy Varipapa Bowls Perfect Score of 300". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. March 29, 1927. pp. A-3. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  11. ^ "Midwest report". Archived from the original on 2010-09-17. Retrieved 2009-01-28.
  12. ^ "Andy Varipapa". Archived from the original on 18 February 2013.
  13. ^ Arbëreshë people were often nicknamed "Greeks" in Italy, since a lot of them originally came from Greece and not only from Albania.
  14. ^ "Andy Varipapa Dead; Famed Bowler Was 93". The New York Times. 27 August 1984.

Official Website

https://andyvaripapa.com

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