Bowling: Oswego's A.J. Johnson 'living the dream' on PBA tour

A.J. Johnson is living every kid’s dream.

Johnson, from Oswego, grew up aspiring to play pro sports. He was the typical three-sport athlete his first year of high school: football, basketball, baseball.

“I loved playing sports, no matter what it was,” Johnson said. “As I transitioned to high school, things took a different route.”

He found his calling in bowling, a sport his grandfather Bill and father Shawn introduced him to. The rest is history.

Johnson, now 25, is a rising star on the PBA Tour. In January he was named the PBA Midwest Regional Player of the Year, and a month prior won gold with Team USA. This month he’s crisscrossing the Midwest for PBA events in the Tournament of Champions, the PBA 60th Anniversary Classic and the PBA Players Championships.

“February, over the last couple years, has been one of the biggest months for us,” said Johnson, starting his third full year on the tour. “We bowl two out of the five majors. Basically, it’s the start of our year.”

Johnson started his competitive career as a sophomore at Oswego, when he opted for bowling instead of basketball. He was part of the program’s first team, in 2008-09.

The following year, he took second in the state, leading Oswego to a third-place finish. He still holds the IHSA record for the highest three-game series with an 857, and the most perfect 300 games in a season. Johnson bowled four 300s in one month’s time his senior year.

He went on to bowl collegiately at McKendree, where he was a four-time All-American, led his team to a national runner-up finish in 2013 and was 2013-2014 men’s collegiate Bowler of the Year.

“The only thing I ever wanted to win was a national championship,” Johnson said, “but having that [Player of the Year title] by my name was pretty cool. My senior year was when the light bulb clicked on. I decided that I was going to go pro and make a run at it.”

He did, and in 2015 was named PBA Midwest Region Rookie of the Year.

Bowling has taken Johnson to places he probably never dreamed of going. He’s played in tournaments in Qatar twice and Bahrain once in the Middle East, and been to Munich, Germany, for the Brunswick Euro Challenge.

Last October he journeyed to Thailand for the World Bowling Tour.

The pinnacle, though, came in December, when Johnson won a gold medal as a member of Team USA at the World Championships in Las Vegas.

“For me it was unbelievable, the feeling of wearing that jersey, competing each day for your country was pretty special,” said Johnson, who won an all-events individual bronze. “By far, it’s one of the best experiences I’ve ever had.”

Johnson’s intentions are to call bowling a career for as long as he can, potentially for his entire life. He still calls Oswego home, but is rarely home.

When he in town, Johnson helps coach the college team at the University of St. Francis in Joliet. It’s the best of both worlds, to coach and compete.

He’ll be off to Munich in March, then Syracuse in April for the USBC Masters. In November, Johnson will represent the U.S. again in Hong Kong at the 2018 World Championships.

Have ball, will travel.

“My intentions, when I started with this, was to go full bore,” Johnson said. “There are similarities to golf; it’s a life-long sport. As long as you keep your body healthy, you can keep at this for a while.”