If your name is Raymond Eddy, you must be a bowler.
The Eddy family continues to make a name for itself when it comes to bowling. The youngest bowler is Heritage High School team member Raymond IV.
Raymond IV’s great-grandfather and grandfather, Ray Eddy, Sr. and Ray Eddy, Jr., are in the Saginaw Bowling Hall of Fame. Ray Eddy III was recently inducted into the Michigan Majors Hall of Fame.
Ray Sr. “was the bowler, then I started bowling, then my brother, then my kids, and now my grandkids,” Ray Jr. said. He has won some “700” titles in Saginaw and various city tournament championships.
“My kids bowled at a young age, the same thing with my grandsons,” said Ray Jr., who started bowling at age 10 or 11. He’s 60 years old now and continues to bowl. While Raymond IV is a high school bowler, high school teams did not exist when Ray Jr. and Ray III were young. They did have the opportunity to bowl in youth leagues, though.
“The bowling alleys were so busy back then, I don’t think they could have done it,” Ray Jr. said.
Ray III said the Michigan bowling sportswriters vote for the Michigan Majors Hall of Fame honorees. “You have to bowl for 15 years or have won over four titles,” he said. “I’ve won four [Michigan major] titles, three majors with end of the year championship tournament twice and the tournament of champions once.”
Ray III has bowled for over 30 years, having started a little younger than when his dad began. He’s had 76 perfect games in his career.
“It was a very big surprise,” Ray III smiled while talking about his Hall induction.
The youngest Eddy goes by Raymond, while the others call themselves Ray.
Raymond IV is a sophomore on the varsity bowling team at Heritage this year, his first on the team. Overall, he’s been bowling about 12 years.
“When I was little, I remember we’d go for a weekend to a tournament, whether it be Michigan Majors or some other tournament,” he said.
Raymond IV has been working on his game for his Heritage team. “We’re looking good for the year,” he said.
He bowls in the Thursday Afternoon Scholarship league at Stardust Lanes in Saginaw. “But you’re not allowed to bowl on leagues during high school bowling,” Raymond IV said. “Once high school’s done, I’ll go back to that league. I definitely like that league a lot.”
The youngest Eddy says he tries to work on his game whenever time allows in addition to regular high school practices.
Like his great-grandfather, grandfather, and father, Raymond IV definitely plans on bowling his entire life. “It’s something my great-grandpa started. I don’t know if anyone bowled before him. I never got a chance to meet him. He died when my dad was one.”
Raymond IV, also a third baseman and pitcher, plans on playing with the Heritage baseball team this spring.
Another top bowler for Heritage is Tyler Scott, a junior who has been bowling three seasons for the varsity team. Other top players for coach Todd Hare’s team are Shane Carlson, Adam Clauss, Robert Henne, Ben Kastros, Derrick Norman, Morris Pruitt, Brandon Southworth, and Travis Taylor.
“It’s going good, we’re in the rebuilding stage because we’ve lost people the last two years,” Hare said. “It’s going decent.”
Scott and Eddy IV were among the key players on the Heritage team that won the 2014 Flint Metro Invitational Tournament Jan. 19 at Richfield Lanes in Flint.
“I’ve improved a little bit,” Scott said. “My spares have gotten a lot better. Mentally, I’ve gotten better. [The others] have improved a lot. We’ve all gotten a lot better from year to year. We’ve gotten more consistent and smarter with how we play. We’re making our spares and everything.”