Mike Durbin


Michael William Durbin is a former American professional bowler and member of the Professional Bowlers Association Hall of Fame.

Career

Durbin became a member of the PBA in 1966. While living in Costa Mesa, California as a rookie in 1967, Durbin won two tournaments and was named PBA Rookie of the Year by Sporting News. He would go on to win 14 PBA Tour titles, including a record three PBA Tournament of Champions titles in 1972, 1982, and 1984. Durbin also finished runner-up at the 1977 Tournament of Champions. He earned over $800,000 in his PBA career.
Durbin was inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame in 1984. During the 1983-84 season, Durbin served as the president of the PBA.
From the early 1980s to 1995, Durbin worked as a color analyst for ESPN alongside play-by-play man Dennis Schreiner. The two called tournaments in the summer and fall, along with senior tour events, while ABC Sports would cover the winter-spring events on the Pro Bowlers Tour, occasionally with Durbin alongside Chris Schenkel. Durbin would occasionally call the ESPN action himself with another analyst, such as Earl Anthony, if Schreiner was out on assignment. Durbin also worked as a commentator for USA Network's occasional bowling telecasts in the 1980s. In 1996, Marshall Holman became the new color analyst for ESPN's coverage, while Durbin took over play-by-play duties. Durbin retired from broadcasting in 1997. Durbin co-authored with Dan Herbst a self-help bowling book called From Gutterballs to Strikes published in 1998.
Durbin lived in Dayton, Ohio, in the early 1970s. A long-time resident of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, Durbin also lived in Boulder City, Nevada; Henderson, Nevada; and then in several communities in Texas, most recently Livingston. Durbin and his wife Debra have three children, Mike Jr., Matthew, and Christine. Durbin is a Christian.
Durbin was ranked #22 on the PBA's 2008 list of "50 Greatest Players of the Last 50 Years." In late 2015 Durbin was voted into the USBC Hall of Fame, Superior Performance category, with induction in the 2016 class on April 28.