Primo Vagnini arrived in Canada in 1950 and initially settled in Sudbury working as a miner with Inco, the International Nickel Company of Canada.

Born in Fano in central Italy, Primo's boyhood friends were Hall of Famer Primo Falcioni who would be his doubles partner in the Italian game of bocce and a somewhat younger John Mattioli, also a Hall of Fame member in our sport.

In moving to Canada, Primo left his wife, Tina, and a daughter JoAnne in Italy to begin a new life in the cold climate of northern Ontario. Primo's wife joined him a year later and ultimately three children were born, Bella, Widmer and Lisa.

Certainly the northern climate was much different than this native land and Primo took up five pin bowling, putting his bocce skills to good use. As such, it was bowling in the winter, baseball and soccer in the summer and among his colleagues was Noah Bertuzzi, a legendary name in bowling in northern Ontario.

In 1955, Primo moved with his family to Toronto and bought a house on Davenport Road that remains his home to this day. In the heart of the Italian district in the west end of Toronto, Primo visited an Italian Club near his home and met several lifelong friends who would become bowling teammates. Included were Primo Falcioni and John Mattioli from his native Fano and also Vic Terminisi, Gord Longarini and Tommy Lenzi.

With his bowling skills honed in Sudbury, Primo easily moved into the tournament scene that was now exploding with the invention of the automatic pinsetter in 1957. Tournaments began in several bowling centres and, at Playtime Bowl, in Toronto, Primo won a "count" a best five games out of seven event, bowling 1575 and winning $1,000.00, a large sum of money in those days. At O'Connor Bowl, another tournament hotbed, Primo won a second major event, the Grey Cup classic, beating Francois Lavigne and this victory inserted both proprietor John Martin and Primo into the Grey Cup Parade and also the annual Grey Cup Game, symbolic of Canada's football championship. In total, Primo would appear on television five times at O'Connor Bowl and these weekly shows were seen across Canada.

The provincial championships were beginning to take shape at this time, and originally were run by the proprietors before being taken over by the bowlers in 1965. Primo qualified ten consecutive years from 1964 to 1974 including three times in the singles, six on the men's team and four on the mixed team. Despite excellent provincial performances, national titles were elusive as Primo lost the 1964 singles title to Hall of Famer Bill Hoult and the Ontario men's team were second in 1968 to British Columbia and the provincial mixed team lost to Alberta in 1974.

Along with this individual success, Primo also enjoyed team play as friends from his native Italy formed the Darrigo's team and Primo alternated with Vic Terminisi in the anchor spot. As well as being a dominant force in the prestigious Toronto City Major League for many years, the team also traveled and set a record score in winning the Kitchener Waterloo All Events Tournament at Towne Bowl. Moreover, at Village Bowl, Primo, on a Huron Men's Wear Team sponsored by Primo Falcioni, was part of the team that won the league title six years in a row.

Overall, Primo bowled until 1985 and, in thirty years reached several milestones. High average titles in many leagues, an 1156 triple at Olympia Edward and two perfect games,
one at Jane Park Bowlerama in 1961 and a second at Willow Bowl in 1966 are most notable.

Away from the lanes, Primo was always connected to the construction industry. Originally in the plastering business, he formed Canwwall Stucco, a company with expertise in that field.

Despite the loss of his wife in 1981 and a stroke in 1995, Primo continues to follow soccer on television cheering for Juventis in the Italian league. As well, he has three children and five grandchildren to keep him company as well. Looking back, Primo can look with some satisfaction on his contribution to five pin bowling and his reputation as both a legend and also a true gentlemen at all times.