Lyle Dell

It’s a recurring theme in this Greater Muskegon Bowling Hall of Fame to state that “For the inductee, bowling was life.”  While it might be cliché, it’s always true, especially for Lyle Dell.

Lyle started bowling from a young age, and took to it quite well.  When he was 12 years old (in the year 1919), he fired a 190 game at the old Michigan Lanes on West Western.  That score would have been excellent for a fully grown adult at that time.  Lyle bowled that game wearing house slippers, not the conventional foot gear you usually see.

Perhaps just as interesting was Lyle’s grip on the ball.  He threw with only two fingers.  It couldn’t have hurt him that badly, he spent most of his bowling career averaging anywhere from 180-190, and claimed singles and all-events titles at the 1968 Michigan State Seniors Tournament.

When all was said and done, Lyle spent 72 years bowling.  Over seven decades on the lanes, one wonders just how many times he threw a bowling ball at pins.

However, Lyle Dell’s involvement in bowling didn’t end in participating in the sport.  He is known around the area for his service to the sport.

One of Lyle’s first jobs was working as a pin setter at the B & B Bowling Alley, in 1923.  He also experimented with Brunswick’s hand-operated spring-jaw pinsetters.

1952 saw Lyle elected to the Greater Muskegon Bowling Association board of directors.  Just two years later he found himself a vice president, and, in 1964, Lyle served as GMBA President. 

Lyle didn’t stop there, either.  He spent countless hours organizing Elks tournaments, and recruited bowlers for different tournaments, some as far away as Milwaukee.

“He just kept giving to the game, even though he never got anything out of it,” Lyle’s son Reggie said.

Lyle spent his professional years working for the Muskegon Chronicle, starting part time in 1937 as an ad man.  He eventually moved up to proofreader - as Lyle put it, “I was always a good speller.”

In addition to the proofreading, Lyle was the Chronicle’s bowling writer until 1991 (though he officially retired from the proofreading in 1972).  This was just one more way Lyle could contribute to the bowling world. 

In his “spare” time, Lyle hit the links, and was a pretty good golfer in his own right.  He liked to play cards, particularly with current Hall-of-Famer Mike Sarable.  He was friends with Hall-of-Famer Bill Liefer, as well. 

Lyle’s service to the Muskegon bowling community over the years have most definitely earned him a spot in the Greater Muskegon Bowling Hall of Fame.  Welcome, Lyle!