| Birth Date: | 28 May 1962 |
| Birth Place: | Shallotte, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Education: | Saint Monica Catholic High School[1] |
| Years Active: | 1980-2006 (PBA Tour) 2000-present (broadcasting) |
| Championships: | 13 PBA Tour (1 major) 1 PBA50 Tour |
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in |
| Affiliation: | PBA |
| Rookieyear: | 1985 |
| Hand: | Right |
| Sponsors: | Storm Products |
Randy Pedersen (born May 28, 1962) is an American sportscaster and former professional bowler. He is currently a color analyst for Fox Sports' coverage of the PBA Tour, formerly filling that same role on ESPN and CBS Sports Network telecasts of the PBA Tour in previous seasons. During the most recent season, he worked alongside play-by-play announcers Rob Stone and Dave Ryan, having previously worked with Dave LaMont, Lon McEachern and Mike Jakubowski. Pedersen grew up in Southern California, but relocated to Clermont, Florida in the early 1990s. He has resided in Florida ever since. He and his ex-wife Becky have two children: a son, Chad and a daughter, Savannah.
As a bowler, Pedersen won 13 PBA Tour titles, with 11 of them coming in a ten-season stretch between 1986 and 1995, when he was one of the top players on tour. Pedersen captured the prestigious PBA National Championship crown in 1987 for his first and only major title. He won three titles in the 1989 season, but was beaten out for PBA Player of the Year honors by Amleto Monacelli, who won four titles that year. His last title was earned at age 40 in the 2002 Pepsi Open. That title pushed him over the $1 million career earnings mark, making him the 24th career millionaire in PBA history at the time.
Pedersen is also known for having suffered from two of the worst breaks in PBA Tour history. Both came in major tournaments, and both times he lost by one pin. He lost the 1995 Bayer-Brunswick Touring Players Championship to veteran Ernie Schlegel by a 237–236 score. Needing a strike and then six pins in the tenth frame to win, Pedersen left a solid 8 pin standing on what appeared to be a perfect 1-3 pocket shot.[2] That match is also remembered for Schlegel's reaction to the shot. In a thrill-of-victory/agony-of-defeat moment, Schlegel ran around in front of the crowd with his fists raised, as Pedersen fell down onto the approach, covering his face in disappointment. Pedersen was also knocked out of the 2005 Dexter Tournament of Champions after he left the 7 pin on his tenth frame fill shot to close out the semifinal against Norm Duke, losing 256–255.
Pedersen was ranked #35 on the PBA's 2008 list of "50 Greatest Players of the last 50 years." He was elected to the PBA Hall of Fame in October 2010, and was inducted with the 2011 class on January 22, 2011.[3]
Pedersen joined the PBA50 Tour (formerly PBA Senior Tour) in 2013, and on May 16 of that year he won the very first tournament he entered: the PBA50 Dayton Classic.[4]
Major titles in bold type.
Off the lanes, Pedersen joined ESPN in 2001 as a TV analyst and has had great success behind the microphone; Pedersen earned the position after getting his start in broadcasting as a lane-level reporter on ABC's Pro Bowlers Tour, in addition to working on Fox Sports Net for a brief time in 2000. Pedersen remained as the bowling analyst on ESPN through the termination of their PBA contract in 2018. He began working for Fox Sports in 2019 when the PBA Tour moved its TV broadcasts to Fox Sports networks. He has also served as analyst on selected PBA Tour broadcasts hosted by CBS Sports Network.
Pedersen has been lauded for his extensive knowledge of the game, associated bowling lingo and catch phrases (see below) as well as his sense of humor. He had a small part in the 1996 comedy movie Kingpin (he was placed right next to Woody Harrelson) along with several other professional bowlers, and has a cameo appearance in the 2006 bowling documentary A League of Ordinary Gentlemen.
Pedersen is notable for using various phrases used to describe different occurrences during PBA events. They include:
(above two describing a perfectly-rolled strike, with all 10 pins going into the pit)
(above four have been used to describe a powerful strike)
Pedersen once commented on his role as PBA Analyst on ESPN telecasts. He said, "I want to convey to the viewing public that they are watching the best bowlers in the world. It's my job to explain what makes them that good, as well as provide other information that 'Johnny 150 average' doesn't already know. One thing I learned is if you can bring enthusiasm to the table, sometimes it doesn't really matter what is coming out of your mouth. The viewing audience senses the enthusiasm."[5]