Marshall Holman
Encyclopedia
Marshall Holman is an American
professional bowler
primarily known for his success on the PBA Tour
throughout the 1970s and 1980s. He also served as a color analyst alongside Mike Durbin
on several ESPN
and ESPN2
bowling telecasts from 1996–2001. From 1998-99, he worked for CBS Sports
and was teamed with Gary Seibel for telecasts when that network briefly showed PBA events.
Holman's last PBA title came in 1996 at the PBA Ebonite Classic. This came eight years after he had last won a title. In this event, he defeated Wayne Webb
in what turned out to be a very emotional battle that came down to the final frames. The first bowler on the PBA to surpass $1.5 million in earnings, Holman won 22 titles (11th all-time) -- including two U.S. Opens
and two Tournament of Champions titles. He was the youngest-ever winner in the Tournament of Champions, topping the field in the 1976 event when he was just 21 years old. He was named PBA Player of the Year in 1987, was a three-time winner of the George Young High Average award, and has earned nearly $1.7 million on tour.
Holman was inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame in 1990 and into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame
in 2001. He is also a 2010 inductee to the USBC
Hall of Fame in the Performance category. He was ranked 9th on the PBA's 2008 list of "50 Greatest Players of the Last 50 Years."
Earlier in his bowling career, as once mentioned in the American Bowlers Journal magazine in the 1980s, Holman had a girlfriend from the state of New Hampshire
. He would occasionally try the sport of candlepin bowling
, popular in his acquaintance's state of residence, while visiting there.
Holman has received several commissioner's exemptions to participate in the PBA's Medford Classic, even though he is no longer an active PBA member.
After several years out of the booth, Holman has returned to the broadcasting arena. He served as a color analyst at the 2007 USBC Queens
tournament and was in the broadcast booth (along with Nelson Burton, Jr.
) for ESPN's five-week coverage of the 2007 and 2008 U.S. Women's Open
events. He also provided commentary, alongside play-by-play man Dave Ryan, for the 2009 U.S. Women's Open telecasts.
Holman and his wife currently reside in Medford. They own two Liberty Tax Service
franchises there.
at a local radio station in Medford. He was nicknamed "Holman the Poleman", as he once did a radio show while pole-sitting
. Marshall was then dubbed a similar nickname "Holman the Bowlman". (Information provided by color analyst Nelson Burton, Jr.
during a PBA Tour telecast on ABC
, February 2 1985.) He has also been called the "Medford Meteor."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional bowler
Bowler (ten-pin)
A bowler is someone participating in the sport of bowling, either as an amateur or professional. In American ten-pin bowling, a bowler is most commonly a member of a team of three to six people...
primarily known for his success on the PBA Tour
Professional Bowlers Association
The Professional Bowlers Association is the major sanctioning body for the sport of professional ten-pin bowling in the United States. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, the PBA membership consists of almost 4,300 members worldwide...
throughout the 1970s and 1980s. He also served as a color analyst alongside Mike Durbin
Mike Durbin
Mike Durbin is a former American professional bowler. He became a member of the PBA in 1967, a year in which he won two tournaments and was named PBA Rookie of the Year by Sporting News. He would go on to win a record three Tournament of Champions titles and 14 total PBA titles, amassing over...
on several ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
and ESPN2
ESPN2
ESPN2 is an American sports cable television network owned by ESPN. The channel debuted on October 1, 1993.Originally nicknamed "the deuce," ESPN2 was initially branded as a network for a younger generation of sports fans featuring edgier graphics as well as extreme sports like motocross,...
bowling telecasts from 1996–2001. From 1998-99, he worked for CBS Sports
CBS Sports
CBS Sports is a division of CBS Broadcasting which airs sporting events on the American television network. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on West 52nd Street in midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on West 57th Street.CBS...
and was teamed with Gary Seibel for telecasts when that network briefly showed PBA events.
Holman's last PBA title came in 1996 at the PBA Ebonite Classic. This came eight years after he had last won a title. In this event, he defeated Wayne Webb
Wayne Webb
Wayne Webb is the son of a Ten-pin bowling alley operator from Rehoboth, Massachusetts, USA and was one of the world's best Ten-pin bowlers from the late 1970s to the end of the 1980s...
in what turned out to be a very emotional battle that came down to the final frames. The first bowler on the PBA to surpass $1.5 million in earnings, Holman won 22 titles (11th all-time) -- including two U.S. Opens
U.S. Open (bowling)
The U.S. Open is one of the four major tournaments in the Professional Bowlers Association. The first modern-day U.S. Open tournament in the PBA took place in 1971 and was won by Mike Limongello. With four victories, Pete Weber holds the most modern-day U.S. Open trophies.The U.S...
and two Tournament of Champions titles. He was the youngest-ever winner in the Tournament of Champions, topping the field in the 1976 event when he was just 21 years old. He was named PBA Player of the Year in 1987, was a three-time winner of the George Young High Average award, and has earned nearly $1.7 million on tour.
Holman was inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame in 1990 and into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame
Oregon Sports Hall of Fame
The Oregon Sports Hall of Fame honors Oregon athletes, teams, coaches, and others who have made a significant contribution to sports in Oregon. The first class was inducted in 1980, with new inductees added in the fall...
in 2001. He is also a 2010 inductee to the USBC
United States Bowling Congress
The United States Bowling Congress is a sports membership organization dedicated to ten-pin bowling in the United States. It was formed in 2005 by a merger of the American Bowling Congress, Women's International Bowling Congress, Young American Bowling Alliance, and USA Bowling...
Hall of Fame in the Performance category. He was ranked 9th on the PBA's 2008 list of "50 Greatest Players of the Last 50 Years."
Earlier in his bowling career, as once mentioned in the American Bowlers Journal magazine in the 1980s, Holman had a girlfriend from the state of New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
. He would occasionally try the sport of candlepin bowling
Candlepin bowling
Candlepin bowling is a variation of Bowling that is played primarily in the Canadian Maritime provinces, Ontario, Quebec, and the New England states of Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire, where it is more common than ten-pin bowling....
, popular in his acquaintance's state of residence, while visiting there.
Holman has received several commissioner's exemptions to participate in the PBA's Medford Classic, even though he is no longer an active PBA member.
After several years out of the booth, Holman has returned to the broadcasting arena. He served as a color analyst at the 2007 USBC Queens
USBC Queens
The USBC Queens is an annual ten-pin bowling event for amateur and professional female bowlers, sanctioned by the United States Bowling Congress...
tournament and was in the broadcast booth (along with Nelson Burton, Jr.
Nelson Burton Jr.
Nelson "Bo" Burton, Jr. is a professional ten-pin bowler and former longtime analyst for the Professional Bowlers Tour on ABC Television. He is the son of Nelson Burton, Sr., who himself was a successful bowler in his day, competing with the likes of Glenn Allison and Billy Welu...
) for ESPN's five-week coverage of the 2007 and 2008 U.S. Women's Open
U.S. Women's Open (bowling)
The United States Women's Open, a.k.a. U.S. Women's Open, a.k.a. Women's U.S. Open, is an annual tournament for women, dedicated to ten-pin bowling in the United States. From its inception in 1949 until its cancellation in 2004 , the event was held every year except for 1953, 1997 and 2002...
events. He also provided commentary, alongside play-by-play man Dave Ryan, for the 2009 U.S. Women's Open telecasts.
Holman and his wife currently reside in Medford. They own two Liberty Tax Service
Liberty Tax Service
Liberty Tax Service is a United States-based company specializing in the preparation of tax returns for individuals and small businesses. The company began in Canada in 1997 when John Hewitt, co-founder of Jackson Hewitt, acquired a Canadian tax franchisor, U&R Tax Depot. In 1998 the company...
franchises there.
Personal
Holman's father, Phil Holman, was a disc jockeyDisc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
at a local radio station in Medford. He was nicknamed "Holman the Poleman", as he once did a radio show while pole-sitting
Pole-sitting
Pole-sitting is the practice of sitting on a pole for extended lengths of time, generally used as a test of endurance. A small platform is often placed at the top of the pole.- History :...
. Marshall was then dubbed a similar nickname "Holman the Bowlman". (Information provided by color analyst Nelson Burton, Jr.
Nelson Burton Jr.
Nelson "Bo" Burton, Jr. is a professional ten-pin bowler and former longtime analyst for the Professional Bowlers Tour on ABC Television. He is the son of Nelson Burton, Sr., who himself was a successful bowler in his day, competing with the likes of Glenn Allison and Billy Welu...
during a PBA Tour telecast on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, February 2 1985.) He has also been called the "Medford Meteor."