William A. Liefer
Whomever thought of the phrase "nice guys finish last", was certainly not thinking about William A. Liefer. After 45 years of bowling in the Muskegon area there's been nothing but glowing words for this gentle man. Being a strong competitor over the years has put him in the upper echelon of area keglers. Although his accomplishments have been many, none has been better than the one that happened recently. After learning on a Monday that he would be inducted into the Hall of Fame, he bowled Tuesday, in the Red Triangle A league and got that elusive 7-pin to fall and rolled his first ever 300 game. Bill's love for the game can be traced back to the 1920's when grandfather, Al Goranson managed a bowling alley. Harvey and Paul, Al's sons and Bill's uncles, set pins when they where young and Bill's dad, Bernie, met his mother on the lanes. Bill naturally started to set pins at a young age and practiced when he could and in 1952 rolled his then high game of 297. While bowling with brothers Ken and Don, they entered the ABC Tournament and at that time were the youngest team ever to have entered. His scoring prowess soon became well known and he was asked to bowl with the powerful Wolverine Express Team. During the 1964 season he averaged 202 and hit 737 to win the Chronicle Award for the first time. Leaving the awards banquet that evening, Bill never made it home as he was in a serious, almost fatal, car accident. Although out of bowling for a while, his strong will and dedication took him on the road to recovery and by 1966 he was back averaging in the 180's. He has been on teams that won the city tournament team titles in 1961, 62, 74, 76, 86 and 94. He was doubles champion in 1962 and won the all-events titles in 1962 and 1976. He has been on teams that had high season games or series in 1981, 83, 86 and 92. In 1979 he won his second Chronicle Award with a 762 series and had the high city average of 204. He has also won two city doubles titles in the Muskegon Seniors Tournament. It's been said that "good things come to those who wait". Bill your waiting is over, "Nice guys do finish first".