Rob McGregor established Hall of Fame credentials early in his early career. Following a 20 year break to pursue other interests, Rob has returned to the sport he loves and continues to demonstrate his exceptional talents.

Initially, Rob honed his skills at Glen Valley Bowl in Toronto, under the watchful eye of the proprietor, Herb Sutcliffe, and an interested coach, Bert Busby.

Rob’s parents, Bob and Margaret, were both league bowlers at Glen Valley, and Marg also ran the Youth Bowling Council program. Rob participated in several youth events, including the World Bantam in Guelph, the Four Steps to Stardom, as well as the Toronto Star and Pepsi High School tournaments

At just 15 years old, Rob bowled his first 400 game, actually 420. This game was bowled at Glen Valley, prior to a move to Royal York Bowl for his final YBC year. This move allowed Rob to learn under the coaching techniques of Dave Johnson.

In 1983, Rob was invited to a summer selection camp to select a men’s team for the upcoming Canada Winter Games to be held in Sagueny – Lac St-Jean region of Quebec. Rob made the team that was coached by Hall of Famer, Rheal Champagne. Teammates were future Hall of Famers, Steve Greensides and Mike Bates, along with Paul Roeder and Rod Smith. In Quebec the team was undefeated, won the gold medal and Rob averaged a spectacular 283.

In 1983, Rob also joined the Master Bowlers’ Association and won two tournaments. Specifically, he won the 1983-84 Mixed Triples as he partnered with Hall of Famer, Norton Sims, and Hamilton’s, Mary Osier, and also captured the 1986 Spring Classic. In that same year, Rob won the aggregate title as the leading bowler in Ontario. He parlayed that achievement into a national silver medal, despite bowling a final match play game of 340, only to lose to Tom Stevenson of Alberta by three pins. For 531 games, Rob averaged 256.35. This mark is 32nd overall in MBAO history.

In the provincial Open, Rob was a force as well. Representing York West, Rob qualified for the men’s team 11 times. Eight of those were in the singles. In 1993, Rob won the provincial singles, and bowled nationally in Ottawa at the Canadian Open Championships. The 1993 season produced a high average title in the Toronto Majors with a 262.9 mark, and victories in the Bowlerama Match Play and the Survival Tournament in Hamilton. In the Bowlerama Times newsletter, Hall of Famer, Fraser Hambly, described Rob as “silky and smooth”, high praise indeed. The following year, Rob was a champion on the York West men’s team and that group won a bronze medal in Winnipeg. In 2000, with the Top 90 List, Rob, despite a limited career was number 77 in the final selection.

At this juncture, Rob chose to leave bowling and develop a career as an interior designer. Obtaining a degree from Centennial College in 1997. Rob worked in the design industry and he culminated this part of his life with six memorable years (2016-2022) in the Cayman Islands. During this time, he completed 500 ocean dives and became a master scuba instructor. As well, Rob made several important contacts in the design field and started a local company.

However, believe it or not, Rob missed Canada. He returned and is regaining his previous championship form. On the lanes, he marveled at the new high speed delivery of the current players, and also the need to adjust to the widespread use of synthetic lanes. To improve, Rob has returned to the Master Bowlers’ Association, joined one league and has developed a real desire to raise his average. Recently, he has won three Masters senior events and, in the Open, has qualified for the singles, representing Toronto in 2022 and 2023.

A bright future awaits for Robert Hugh McGregor.