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The "silver fox", Emile Coté was born in Ottawa in 1913 and has been a major force on the lanes for 46 years.
Beginning to bowl in 1942 as therapy for a neck injury, Emile enjoyed both five pin and duck pin bowling. "Bowling helped those with shoulder, spine and neck injuries and eventually the hospital built one lane" recalled Coté.
Two years later, Emile was hooked on bowling and ready to enter money tournaments. During the next twenty-two years, he bowled some phenomenal scores. He rolled his first of three perfect games on November 30, 1950 at the Bolo-Dome in Ottawa. His league averages were always in the 260 range, and his 1087 triple stood as the highest three game score bowled in Ottawa for twenty years. In addition, Emily bowled on the CBC television show at O’Connor Bowl as well as fifteen consecutive appearance on "Dollar Bowling", a local Ottawa television show. Emile also excelled in duck pin bowling, with a 292 high single (300 is a perfect game) and an appearance on Montreal television.
In 1959, Emile was a candidate for athlete of the year in Ottawa, as selected by the Associated Canadian Travelers Association. Emile was in elite company along with world champion skier Anne Heggtveit and Pan-American medallist shooter Barney Hartman.
In 1965, however, Emile suffered a second setback, when a broken collarbone brought his career to a standstill. While recovering, Emile turned to the administrative side of the sports and was the first president of the Ottawa-Hull 5 Pin Bowlers’ Associated, establishing organized bowling in the area.
This latest setback was only temporary, however, and Emile returned to the lanes, rolling several more 1000 triples in the Ottawa area. Today, at 75, Emile still bowls twice a week, average a respectable 215.
Emile and his wife Margot, now live in Aylmer, Quebec and, with eleven grandchildren and twelve great-grandchildren, they enjoy an active retirement.
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