The name Herb Gillis first appeared in the Toronto Star records of the Toronto Tenpin League in 1904-05 season although it is almost a certainty that he bowled earlier than that – probably in the 1890’s. He was a member of the Torontos team which rolled a season high 6 man team score in 1904-05 of 3983 with Herb contributing 590. Two weeks later he bowled a 695 series.

By 1907-08 he was considered to be one of Toronto’s best bowlers. He managed Gladstone Alleys from 1908 thru 1910. In the 1910 CBA Tournament in Toronto, Herb Gillis teamed up with Ed Sutherland in the doubles event and they came 2nd with 1212. Also in the ABC Tournament of 1910 in Detroit, Michigan, Herb and his partner in the doubles event were the first Toronto bowlers ever to cash in an ABC Tournament.

Herb Gillis joined A.J. Hartman’s Brunswicks in 1916 and along with Hartman and Schliman he bowled in 18 of 19 McCallum Trophy challenge matches over the next 5 years. During that time Herb became the only bowler ever to bowl a 700 series – a 747 – in history of the McCallum Trophy challenge matches.

In 1921 at the age of 47, Herb bowled anchor for the Saunders team when they won the ABC Tournament Team Championship in Buffalo, New York. He contributed 640 to the winning score of 3066, having entered with a 208 average. He was told just prior to bowling the 10th frame of the 3rd game that 2 strikes would almost certainly win the championship. A remark of this kind might unnerve many bowlers but his reply was “hell, I’ll get all three!”, and he did. Thus did Herb Gillis become one of only 5 Toronto bowlers who are in the record book as ABC Tournament Champions.

Sixteen years later, at age 63, Herb showed that he not only was excellent bowler, but also had administrative ability when he started a 3 year term as our Association Secretary/Treasurer in 1937.