Madison Area USBC Hall of Famer Dave Erickson passed away on September 8, 2025 at the age of 72. Our condolences to the Erickson family.
Dave was one of the greats in our association on the lanes and off the lanes; a solid family man, friend, and bowler. He was loved as much as he loved the sport and will be remembered fondly.
A Christian service will be held to honor Dave at Real Hope Community Church in Lake Mills on Saturday, September 27 from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. There will not be a formal visitation or meal at the church.
Dave’s celebration of life will be held on Sunday, September 28 from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Maple Tree in McFarland. Please come as you are.
Dave was recently honored at the 2024 USBC Open Championships for his 50th consecutive appearance. His determination to reach this milestone is detailed in this story on bowl.com. He also reached (at least) 50 consecutive Petersen Classics. Dave excelled in tough lanes competitions, lightening not only the tournament prize lists but also the spare change of some of his teammates…
Dave was inducted into the Madison Area USBC Hall of Fame (then the Madison Bowling Association) in 2011 for Distinguished Performance. He added a couple more perfect games to his total since that time.
From his Madison Hall of Fame inscription:
Dave Erickson is a product of the youth program at Prairie Lanes, run in those days by MBA Hall of Famer Hub Spahn. It only took a few years for him to earn an MBA tournament title in adult competition, a team title in 1975. In 1989, he teamed up with Tom Howery to win the Wisconsin State Match Game doubles title.
To date, he has six perfect games and a pair of 800 series, with a high of 823. His lifetime average over his 40 year career is 200, topping out at 230 in the 2007-08 season.
Erickson is best known for his prowess when the lanes are the toughest. Locally, he is a three time champion of the annual Schwoegler Tough Lanes tournament. He has participated in 38 consecutive Petersen Classic tournaments with significant success, highlighted by a second place finish in 1995 and a 2003 Classic Doubles title with fellow Hall of Fame member Jeff Richgels.
Erickson was inducted into the Petersen Classic Hall of Fame in 2010.