Ryan Doll was the tenth bowler inducted into the GutterAlley Hall of Fame, inducted during the Spring 2015 season and the first bowler inducted under the new procedures.

Way back in the Fall 2005 season, a fresh faced kid with a barrel chest showed up to roll as a sub on the worst-performing team in league history. The following season he joined the league full time and earned both Rookie of the Season honors as well as #1 Cumulative Power Ranked bowler in the same season, the first person to do so. Since then, Ryan Doll has returned to roll a total of 18 seasons in the league, so far, while racking up quite an incredible track record along the way.

Ryan is the second most improved bowler in league history, having improved his average +72 pins so far in his career. (It's likely he will claim the number one spot in this ranking by sometime in 2016.) He has the third highest number of 200+ games of anyone, a position that is safe for at least a few more seasons. As of this writing he is found on 26 of our Top 25 achievement lists, and is in the top 10 on all but 8 of those. He has been the #1 power ranked bowler 16 times, has been Most Valuable Bowler 6 times, and even enjoyed a brief stint as the best bowler in the league in February 2014. He has been the #1 Cumulative Power-Ranked Bowler four times and the league's actual Most Valuable Bowler of the Season five times.

For years there had been a running joke about the fact that no matter how hard he tried, Ryan Doll would always come up just short of being able to get a championship. All that changed in Fall 2013 when Bowltron, which at the time was the second-strongest team in league history (now the third), clinched the championship in week 15. Then, in Spring 2015, history repeated when Amazeballs also clinched the championship in week 15.

In addition to being one of the league's top bowlers, our league is better for Ryan Doll being part of it. He is directly responsible for the recruitment of at approximately a dozen members of our league, most of whom stayed for multiple seasons and some of whom are still with us today. When you consider bowlers who were then brought in by those he recruited, his influence encompasses around twenty bowlers.

Throughout his nearly ten years with us, he has always been well known as a friendly and courteous bowler -- so long as you aren't a teammate of his who just missed an easy spare.

Here are a few comments about Doll from those that nominated him:

Did you know you can rearrange the letters in Ryan Doll’s name to spell the word “nodally?” Which is of or like a node. Now that doesn’t really describe Ryan, but you can also spell out some other words like Loyal, Dollar, Rally. Which I think is a pretty good definition of a team’s anchor. But I think my personal favorite and the word that describes Doll the best is the word Rad! Here’s to a great bowler and an even better friend!

Ryan Doll is one of the few people who is able to consistently put together a team that bowls both for the fun of it as well as for the purpose of trying to win it all.   He may not always win, but he puts together a contender team season after season while still managing to  keep it fun and be a good sport.

I propose the following...Ryan "Tough Guy" Doll Award = I don't know about everybody else, but I was impressed when Ryan came back from shoulder surgery and bowled a pretty-dang-good season left-handed. And the Ryan "Do as I say, not as I do" Doll Leadership Award = All kidding aside, Doll is a great leader on the alley, in the work place and the community. He's an all-around great guy who will help you do your best

Doll is a powerhouse, pure and simple. He came into the league with the goal of just having fun but, over the years, has evolved into a passionate competitor capable of turning any team into an instant contender. He, along with Codding and Cory, represents the best of the league's recruits during the mid-2000s.

A virtual main-stay of VML bowling, Ryan Doll is usually in the thick of top bowlers and best teams – not bad company to be in. He flourishes in competitive spirit, a heavyweight average and the desire to win – even when it requires him to bowl left-handed after having surgery.

And from the inductee himself...

1. What is your personal favorite memory from all your years in the league?

There are so many great times that I have had in the league, it’s hard to name just one! Winning my first championship was probably my favorite. However, being there for Codding’s 300 (the league’s first) was pretty special as well.

2. What is it about this league that continued to bring you back season after season?

Friends, jokes, greasy food, beer and great competition. Also, I have had some great teammates to roll with all of these years. I have bowled 11 seasons with Rob Kaszuba on my team, and couldn’t have asked for a better teammate through it all.

3. What does it mean for you to be inducted into the Hall of Fame?

It means a lot to me that I was chosen. I have had a great time being a part of the league, and being inducted into the Hall of Fame makes me know that the feeling was mutual. Thank you all for making me feel at home in the league for the last 10 years!

It is with great pleasure that the GutterAlley Hall of Fame opens its doors to Ryan Doll.