RETURN TO HALL OF FAME MAIN MENU

Born July 8, 1925, Jack Fine was the eldest of 3 siblings. His father Sam got into the theatre business with B & F Theatres in the Toronto area. As Jack got involved in the family business he learned a lot about the entertainment industry, understanding the considerable work ethic required which he would bring in to his future endeavours.

In 1947, at the age of 22, Jack graduated from the University of Toronto with Honours in Political Science & Economics. While at college, Jack became heavily involved in sports, especially squash and racquetball.
His passion for sport had him writing a Varsity Sports article for the Globe and Mail newspaper while still at school, and he also applied his considerable writing talents as editor and writer of the school yearbook.

After graduating from U of T…he elevated his participation in the family business, becoming the film booker for the family theatres. He soon saw an opportunity to get into the bowling business, purchasing a bowling centre at Bathurst and St. Clair in mid-town Toronto.

By 1954, Jack’s political savvy and interest saw him involving himself heavily in the formation of a network of bowling proprietors, and he was instrumental in the formation of the Bowling Proprietors Association of Ontario. In fact, he was a huge asset to the new and growing organization, and sat on the Board of Directors of BPAO throughout its early years.
In 1959 he foresaw the boom coming for bowling, and decided to make his mark, leaving the family theatre business and upping his game in the bowling industry. He purchased his first “Bowlerama” centre on Jane street in Toronto with partner Thurston Allen.

Interestingly, the “Bowlerama” name and brand was based on a bowling centre Jack saw in Florida. He thought it was a perfect fit to project a brand which represented the world of bowling, and before long it was the representation of the sport in Southern Ontario and eventually, by reputation, across Canada. Very quickly afterwards he added 3 more centres in Toronto as well as locations in Guelph, Brantford & Kitchener.

In 1977, Bowlerama purchased the “All Canada Bowl” chain, adding another 13 bowling centres to the growing operation, now numbering 23 centres. At its high point, Bowlerama reached 28 locations across Southern Ontario, and was the 4th largest chain of bowling centres in North America.

Jack supported the industry in many ways, including active participation on Boards. He sat on the BPA of America Board, was BPAO President from 1967-68, Sat on the Bowl Canada Executive Committee for a number of years, stepping up as national President from 1982-1984. Additionally, he was an influential member of MUBIG, the Multi-Unit Bowling Information Group in the United States.

As if that weren’t enough, from humble beginnings in one of the Bowlerama centre basements, Jack also built up Bowling Sales of Canada and created one of Canada’s leading bowling distribution outlets, servicing both the retail market and the Trade.

Jack Fine’s creativity led to his innovation of time Bowling. His political savvy led the fight to extend bowling centre’s hours of operation…the fight to lower municipal licensing fees for the industry…the fight against unreasonable Realty assessments…and he was a key player in knocking down the liquor laws keeping alcohol out of bowling centres in his province of Ontario.

Jack regularly kept in touch with the Bowl Canada office, sharing news and checking in to see what was happening in his industry. And he was a Contributor right to the end, standing for election to our Board of Directors just a year or so before his passing, always willing to give a little more.