Patty Costello

Patty Costello (May 8, 1947, Washington, D.C. – April 16, 2009, Scranton, Pennsylvania) was an American professional ten-pin bowler and former member of the Professional Women's Bowling Association (PWBA). She was one of the best female bowlers of the 1970s and 1980s. Costello is a member of the USBC and PWBA Halls of Fame.^[1]

Patty Costello

Personal information
Born	(1947-05-08)May 8, 1947 Washington, D.C., U.S.
Died	April 16, 2009(2009-04-16) (aged 61) Scranton, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Years active	1968–1986 (professional bowling)
Spouse	Steve Dain (divorced by 1985)
Sport
Sport	Ten-pin bowling

Born to William Joseph and Marjorie Moran Costello in Washington, D.C., Costello did not begin bowling until the age of 16, but she quickly made a name for herself in the sport, winning four titles in 1970.^[2]

Professional career

Over her bowling career, Costello earned 39 professional titles (25 in PWBA-WPBA events and another 14 in LPBA-LPBT events), including eight major championships. Her majors include four titles in the PWBA Players Championship (1971, 1972, 1974, 1976) and three victories at the U.S. Women's Open (1974, 1976 and 1980).^[3]

In 1976, she won six PWBA events, setting a record for most titles earned in a year, plus another two titles in LPBA events.^[2] (The record for PWBA-only titles was later set by Carolyn Dorin-Ballard with seven in 2001, although Dorin-Ballard competed in eight more events.)^[4] Costello was named Female Bowler of the Year by the Bowling Writer's Association of America in 1972 and 1976.^[3]

Costello's career suffered a setback in late 1977, when her father suddenly died of a heart attack while watching her provide commentary for a bowling telecast. Afterwards, she experienced depression and anxiety attacks for several years. She told Bowling Digest in 2002, "I was so ultrasensitive to everything around me that I could feel the hair on my arms standing straight up, and no one could comprehend that. I would go to doctors and tell them my symptoms, and they'd look at me like I was ready for the psych ward. It was an awful, lonely place to be." However, Costello recovered and won seven titles between 1978 and 1981, including capturing her third U.S. Women's Open crown in 1980. At the time, she was one of only two bowlers (Marion Ladewig being the other) to win the U.S. Open at least three times. Kelly Kulick and Liz Johnson have since joined that exclusive group. Patty won three more championships in 1985, and was named Player of the Year by her fellow bowlers.^[2] Her final title was earned at the 1986 Ebonite Firebolt Classic.

In addition to her professional accomplishments, Patty won a pair of WIBC (now USBC) Open Championship titles in the Classic Team category (1970 and 1972). Costello is a member of the United States Bowling Congress Hall of Fame (inducted 1989)^[5] and the PWBA Hall of Fame (inducted 1995).^[1]

Costello's professional titles

Major championships in bold text. (Source: 11thframe.com^[6])

1. 1968 St. Paul Open
2. 1970 Columbia 300 Open
3. 1970 Showboat Open
4. 1970 Canton Open
5. 1970 Phoenix Open
6. 1971 Ebonite Open
7. 1971 PWBA Championship
8. 1972 Japan Starlanes Classic
9. 1972 Sacramento Classic
10. 1972 El Cajon Classic
11. 1972 PWBA Championship
12. 1972 Ebonite Cavalcade of Stars
13. 1974 U.S. Women’s Open
14. 1974 Columbia 300 PWBA Championship
15. 1974 Charlie Parker Pro Shop Open
16. 1974 Canton Classic
17. 1975 Ocean State Classic
18. 1976 Greater Akron Classic
19. 1976 LPBA Classic (L)
20. 1976 U.S. Women’s Open
21. 1976 Houston Open
22. 1976 Miami Open
23. 1976 Jamestown Open (L)
24. 1976 Columbia 300 Classic
25. 1976 PWBA Championship
26. 1977 National Bowling Council Mixed Doubles (w/Paul Colwell)
27. 1977 Miami Classic
28. 1977 Houston BPAA Open
29. 1978 Montgomery Ward Los Angeles Open
30. 1979 Robby’s Chicago Classic
31. 1980 U.S. Women’s Open
32. 1980 Pabst Extra Light Classic I
33. 1980 Pabst Extra Light Classic II
34. 1981 Dallas Classic
35. 1981 Pabst Extra Light Classic
36. 1985 Hammer Midwest Open
37. 1985 Fairhaven Classic
38. 1985 LPBT Tournament of Champions
39. 1986 Ebonite Firebolt Classic

L = Tournament conducted by LPBA.

Accomplishments and honors

• 39 professional titles
• 3x Female Bowler of the Year (1972, 1976, 1985)
• USBC Hall of Fame inductee (1989)
• PWBA Hall of Fame inductee (1995)

Personal

After retiring from competitive bowling, Costello began a career as a transport driver with the Community Medical Center in Scranton, Pennsylvania. "Bowling was my job then; this is my job now. In both cases, I've always been happy to meet people, talk to them, and get them feeling good to be around me", she told Bowling Digest.^[2]

Costello lived with^[7] and subsequently became married to Steve Dain.^[8] They had divorced by 1985.^[9]