Hooked from the Start: Chuck Maher Rolls into the St. Bernard Parish

Sports Hall of Fame

A six-decade bowling career rooted in family, community, and excellence leads

to the parish’s highest athletic honor

Charles “Chuck” Maher was born to bowl. The son of the late Irwin and Doris Maher—both avid
bowlers and longtime residents of St. Bernard Parish, Chuck was inspired by his father to take up
the sport. He grew up alongside two brothers, Mike and Claude, who also developed a lifelong
passion for bowling.
Chuck’s earliest memory of the sport dates back to age eight when he participated in the NORD
summer bowling program. His official competitive career began in 1961 in St. Bernard Parish,
where he bowled in his first USBC-sanctioned league. He graduated from Chalmette High
School in 1966 and lived in St. Bernard Parish for 18 years, competing in multiple St. Bernard
Parish leagues at Arabi Bowl and Garden Bowl. In 1977, Chuck and wife Susan were transferred
by BellSouth AT&T from New Orleans to Birmingham, Alabama, where he continued league
and competitive bowling.
Over a career spanning more than six decades, Maher has compiled a long list of
accomplishments. He has recorded 86 perfect 300 games and 33 series of 800 or better, all in
USBC-sanctioned leagues and tournaments. His success includes championships throughout the
Southeast in Singles, Doubles, Team, and All-Events competition. Career highlights include
titles on the SASBA Senior Tour, Alabama State Scratch and Senior Tournaments, and the
Greater Birmingham USBC City Open and Senior Tournaments, as well as being part of a
Birmingham City record-setting team series of 3,649 in 2012.
Maher’s excellence earned him induction into the Greater Birmingham USBC Hall of Fame for
Superior Performance in 2001 and the Alabama State Bowling Association Hall of Fame for
Superior Performance in 2002. He was also named SASBA Senior Tour Southeast Region Player
of the Year in 2001, an honor voted on by fellow competitors. He continues to compete actively
and frequently bowls in tournaments alongside his brothers, Mike and Claude Maher, and his
nephew, Jeffrey Maher.
Beyond competition, Maher has devoted years of service to the sport. His contributions include
serving as a member of the Greater Birmingham USBC Board of Directors, Chairman of the Hall
of Fame and All-City Committees, Storm Bowling staff member, youth bowling coach, and
league president for several prominent leagues.
Maher describes himself as a polite, friendly, and focused competitor who enjoys meeting new
people and values both the camaraderie and competition of bowling. He credits the sport with
teaching him discipline, perseverance, and the importance of winning and losing graciously.
Over the course of his career, he has witnessed the evolution of bowling ball technology, noting
that modern bowling balls—now designed by chemists and mathematicians—have made
bowling increasingly a game of skill and focus. 

Looking ahead, Maher’s goals include serving as a role model for younger bowlers, reaching 100
perfect games, bowling an 800 series after the age of 80, and adding a few more tournament
titles to his résumé.
Despite relocating, he has remained closely connected to St. Bernard Parish, returning several
times each year to visit friends and family.
Widowed by his wife Susan, Chuck Maher is the proud father of two daughters, Michelle and
Charlotte, and grandfather to Brantley and Madison, all of whom have bowled with him and
been inspired by his lifelong love of the sport. His induction into the St. Bernard Parish Sports
Hall of Fame on March 7, 2026, honors a lifetime of excellence, loyalty, sportsmanship, and
dedicated service to the sport of bowling.