By Lou Ponsi. This story originally appeared in La Habra Life (Fall 2025) and is reprinted with permission. (These photos did not appear in the original story. Photo above the title is a wall mural at the La Habra 300 Bowl.)
In the sport of bowling, a 900 series consists of three consecutive perfect scores of 300 – that’s 36 strikes in a row, or 12 strikes in a row in back-to back-to-back games.
At one time, that would have been akin to threading a needle in a tornado. One magical night at La Habra Bowl – which is now celebrating its 65th anniversary [ed. – in 2025] – Glenn Allison became the first person to ever accomplish the feat, bowling a 900 series while playing in the sanctioned Anchor Girl Trio League in July 1982. Allison recently passed away on Oct. 7, 2025 at age 95.
While the then-American Bowling Congress (ABC) refused to sanction Allison’s accomplishment, many in the bowling world have recognized his 900 series as legit. The U.S. Congress even recognized Allison as the original “Mr. 900” and “Ripley’s Believe It or Not!” featured the achievement in its syndicated weekly comic strip in 1983.
“The whole place has been my family,” Allison said of La Habra Bowl, during an interview shortly before he died. He recalls bowling his first game at the center with his older brother, Bob, in 1960. Allison, who grew up in Whittier, was 9 when his parents took him bowling at the eight-lane Whittier Bowling Academy in 1939. “I immediately loved the game,” Allison said. “My first game was 77. My second game was 68.”
Allison bowled often, climbing the ranks quickly, and turned pro in 1956 at age 26. Meanwhile, in 1958, brothers J.W. and William Burch (of Burch Ford) set out to develop a large piece of property on Whittier Boulevard. Seeing the need for family entertainment in La Habra, a bowling alley was constructed. Built in the popular ’60s retro “Googie” architecture, made famous by the heyday of Las Vegas, the sharp arches and vintage accents make La Habra Bowl a one-of-a-kind destination. La Habra Bowl has been family owned and operated by the Burch family for four generations. The place is currently owned by Margaret, widow of William Burch; their daughter, Catherine; and managed by her daughter, Andrea. Allison bowled at La Habra Bowl for the first time in 1960 and rolled his first-ever 300 at a tournament there in 1964.
Fast forward to July 1, 1982. Allison, who bowled in back-to-back leagues, arrived at La Habra Bowl a little before 6 p.m. to compete in the first league. He capped that series with three consecutive strikes. Then he proceeded to lanes 13 and 14 to begin play in the Anchor Girl Trio League.
Scott Kraye, longtime owner of the pro shop at La Habra Bowl and a former PBA bowler himself was on hand to witness Allison’s 900 series. Allison had completed the first 300 game and was halfway through his second when word of the streak spread quickly through the center, said Kraye.
“He gets, like, 27 in a row,” Kraye recalls. “So, phone calls are being made and people are coming in from the neighborhood. A friend of mine who lived about five miles from here comes in and says, ‘What’s going on here? They just called me.”‘ By the time he was a few frames away from making history, the place was dead silent and all eyes were on Allison, Kraye said. Allison makes the 36th strike and the place goes crazy, he said. But the crowd wasn’t about to let Allison step away from lanes 13 and 14 just yet. “They asked him to keep going,” Kraye said. Allison proceeded to throw another four strikes in a row before leaving the 8-pin standing, putting an end to the most memorable performance in bowling history at the time. “We were just looking at each other,” Kraye said. “Like, ‘What just happened here?'”
While Allison’s string of 36 strikes was never sanctioned by the ABC – which claimed lane conditions were not in compliance with its rules at the time – the feat has garnered plenty of recognition, and Allison and La Habra Bowl have become inextricably linked. Allison spent years working behind the counter and was always helpful to anyone wanting tips to improve their game, said Rick Moffit, a longtime regular who was on the team bowling against Allison’s team on the night Allison made history. “I feel he brought a lot to it just in the fact of what he has done,” Moffit said. “He was willing to help anybody and do what he could. He assisted me in my bowling. He brought a lot to it (La Habra Bowl).”
Many years after that magical night, Allison finally received the official recognition he deserved.
In 2019, Rep. Luis Correa, who serves the 46th District of the U.S. House of Representatives, arranged for Allison to receive a “Certificate of Special Recognition,” which recognizes Allison as “the first man in the history of bowling to deliver a 900 series in sanctioned league competition. By so doing he is officially recognized as the ‘Original Mr. 900.”‘