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Will Birmingham play in the National Bowling League?

May 4, 1960

	Donald L. Berg

A newly proposed professional bowling league announces that Birmingham has been given a 30-day "option" to join as an inaugural team to begin play in 1961. Denver and Minneapolis also received 30-day options. If the options are not exercised within that time frame, the league will look elsewhere for expansion.

Detroit and Miami were granted franchises, bringing the total up to ten. Chicago, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Los Angeles, Omaha, Raleigh, and San Antonio were already given franchises. Other cities that hope to join; Fresno, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Salt Lake City, San Diego, Seattle, and St. Louis. The league wants to begin their inaugural season with 16 teams.

Each franchise has to pay $5,000 to join and have $500,000 to $1,000,000 ready to build a stadium.

Donald L. Berg, one of the biggest bowling proprietors in the Southeast, asked for the option in Birmingham. His plan would be to build a 72-lane stadium seating around 3,500 spectators. "The league is good for bowling over-all and will be a success in Birmingham," Berg said. He is President of Coastline Properties, Inc. of Miami. Coastline plans to operate 11 bowling houses throughout the Southeast by August.

Berg says the team will play in the "All Star Bowl", which will be one of the most modern in the country. The facility in Midfield will cost $2 million and will have 72 lanes (34 back-to-back) with four being used for league competition. Around those four lanes will be seating to hold 2,000 spectators. It will have a motion picture screen, closed circuit television, a broadcasting studio, and will also be used for boxing, wrestling, and conventions.

	League co-founder J. Curtis Sanford

The league will begin play in September of 1961 and will consist of a 36-week schedule playing 5 nights a week.

A player draft will be held in July, with each team drafting 30 players. Once the final five players for each time are decided, they could each earn a salary anywhere from $6,000 to $25,000.

The nation-wide professional bowling league is the brainchild of J. Curtis Sanford, a wealth Dallas businessman and founder of the annual Cotton Bowl game, and Leonard Homel. The league grew out of an ad in the Wall Street Journal.

July 18, 1960
In the NBL's draft, Birmingham selected Eddie Lubanski, the only bowler to ever have back-to-back 300 games. In all, he has hit the 300 mark six times and is the current Bowler of the Year.

Berg has plans to bring fans in. "In order to keep the fans coming out, you've got to keep them entertained. We may have a theme song, like the Harlem Globetrotters, and dress them out in fancy uniforms."

March 6, 1961
The National Bowling League directors vote to cancel the Birmingham and Miami franchises.

League Commissioner Dick Charles said the owners of the two franchises did not comply with league rules stating they had to begin stadium construction by March 1st.

They also decided to begin the season on October 1st with only ten teams.

October 1961

			1961-62                            National Bowling League
xxx		xxx		xxx		xxx		xxx		xxx
	Dallas Broncos		Detroit Thunderbirds		Fort Worth Panthers		Fresno Bombers		Kansas City Stars
	Los Angeles Toros		New York Gladiators		Omaha Packers		San Antonio Cavaliers		Twin Cities Skippers

Epilogue
After starting the season off in October 1961 to great fanfare, the National Bowling League attendance slowly dwindled. By January 1962 almost half of the teams were gone. Fan support in four cities, Kansas City, Los Angeles, New York, Omaha, and San Antonio forced owners to fold.

Other measures were proposed, such as reducing player salaries from $6,000 to $100 per week. The league had already reduced the number of games each week from five to three.

Despite the setbacks, the league limped along, completing their inaugural season. The Detroit Thunderbirds won the league championship, sweeping the Twin Cities Skippers three games out of five.

On July 9, 1962 the league announced they would suspend operations to sit out a 1962-63 season. Reasons given were insufficient time to start the new season, including expansion, and failure to secure a national television contract.

Ultimately, the remaining owners eventually decided to let the league fold.
Contact Gene Crowley
Last update: October 22, 2025