About Inductee

Tony Churchey, born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, started bowling at age nine with the encouragement of his mother. His family moved to Huntsville in 1970, and he started bowling in Junior Leagues until his graduation from Grissom High School in 1974. After graduation, he worked at Parkway Lanes while he was attending college and started bowling in two or three tournaments a month. He won his first scratch tournament in 1976, and started working toward a career on the pro tour. When he finished his Bachelor of Science Degree from Alabama A & M University, he decided to try the pro tour. Churchey bowled on the pro tour for two years before he decided to return to Huntsville and become an accountant with Boeing, where he has worked for the last 27 years. He has won 51 Huntsville Bowling Association Titles and has been the Huntsville Bowling Association Bowler of the Year eight times. Tony has also won thirteen Alabama State Bowling Association titles. In addition to the local and state titles, Tony won the Southern Regional Scratch Bowling Associations Title five times, as well as two Southern Bowling Association titles. He has won six titles in the forty-and-over regional scratch tournaments and was the Birmingham Match Game Champion in 2000. Tony finished second in doubles at the United States Bowling Congress Championships, in Las Vegas, in 1986. In 2002, he finished in the top eight at the Super Bowl High-Roller in Las Vegas. Tony was also a top eight finisher at the Super Hoinke Classic in Cincinnati in 2002. In June of 1996, Tony was inducted into the Huntsville Bowling Association Hall of Fame and a year later was inducted into the Alabama State Bowling Association Hall of Fame. The Huntsville Bowling Association named him as the Bowler of the Decade from 1990 to 1999. From 2006-2008, Tony won six Senior All-Star Bowling Association Titles. Tony said, Three people have been instrumental in my bowling career. My mother, Glenda Churchey, introduced me to the sport in 1965 and provided encouragement for me to excel. My wife, Jan, has supported me in all my bowling endeavors since we married in 1981. Roy Pie Bates, owner of Parkway Lanes, provided me with anything I needed to pursue my bowling career before he passed away in 1989. Tony and his wife, Jan, now make their home in Madison, Alabama.