Marion Ladewig Biography - Career Begins In Local Alley, Wins First All-star, Personal Struggles, Chronology, Awards And Accomplishments
bowler bowling balls softball
1914-
American bowler
Marion Ladewig was known as the "Queen of Bowling." Many people consider her the greatest female bowler who ever lived. She set the pace in the opening days of women's professional bowling. Not only did she lead the nation in high average for a woman four times between 1949 and 1963 but, in 1951 she outscored the men.
Born Marion Margaret Van Oosten on October 30, 1914 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Ladewig was a policeman's daughter who grew up a tomboy. She was a high school sprinter and played first base on her brother's baseball team. By age twenty-two she was a softball player of some distinction in local women's leagues. By her own estimation she was a good shortstop, slick fielder, and hard-hitting batter. When it came to pitching, however, Ladewig described herself as a "batting practice pitcher for other teams" because her balls brought easy hits.
It was her softball skill that led to her career in bowling. Local businessman, William T. Morrissey, Sr., saw the makings of a bowler in her strong throwing arm. In 1937 he invited her to roll some balls at his alley but it took a group of girlfriends to lure Ladewig onto the lanes. After just one game, she was hooked on the sport.
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Morrissey offered Ladewig a job in his establishment, The Fanatorium. She honed her skills in the tan building at 40 Jefferson Ave SE, decorated with green awnings, vaulted striped ceilings and checkered floors. Affectionately known as "the Fan," the bowling alley became a Grand Rapids institution. In later years locals called it "the house that Marion built." Ladewig c…
In 1949 Ladewig won the first Women's All-Star Tournament, sponsored by the Bowling Proprietors Association of America (BPAA), and successfully defended that title in five succeeding tournaments. In the 1950-51 season she became the only bowler in history to win the All-Events title at the city, state and national levels in the same year. All-Events tallied a bowlers points in singles, doub…
Easily unnerved by the stress of competition, Ladewig struggled to maintain her control. She later admitted that Morrissey often berated her severely in his attempts to revive her fighting spirit. After Ladewig discovered that chewing gum relieved her stress she was never without a supply. Sportswriters dubbed her "The Chiclet-Chewing Lady" for her noticeable gum chomping during comp…
Honors continued to mount for Ladewig. In 1973 she was voted the Greatest Woman Bowler of All Time by the Bowling Writers Association of America (BWAA). She was named to the Women's Sports Foundation Hall of Fame in 1984. Her Ladies Pro Bowlers Tour (LPBT) trading card was issued in 1991. She was inducted into the International Bowling Museum Hall of Fame in 1991 and became one of ten chart…
David, Mac. The Giant Book of Sports. New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1967. Weiskopf, Herman. The Perfect Game. New York: Rutledge, 1978. "Detroit's Legends of Bowling." The Detroit News (May 12, 2001). "Final Frame." The Grand Rapids Press (April 21, 2000). "Mrs. Ladewig and Mrs. Carter Retain Bowling Doubles Crown." New York Times (May 11, 1959…
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User Comments
almost 2 years ago
Back in the 1960's, I enjoyed many of my lunch hours (of Chesapeake & Ohio Rwy Freight House-Grand Rapdids, MI-watching Marian Ladwig practice at Fanatorium Lanes. She is by far the most consistent lady bowler that I have ever met; and I would rate her as the equal of my personal male bowling heroes (Walter Ray Williams & Chris Barnes).