April 30 was a special day for Collier Lanes, 879 S. Lapeer Road. After 75 years of operation and four generations in Oxford, the bowling alley and family it’s named for, were inducted into the Michigan High School Interscholastic Bowling Coaches Association (MHSIBCA) Hall of Fame.

The MHSIBCA held their annual awards ceremony at Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park. According to a press release, Michigan has more high school bowlers than any other state and sends hundreds of student athletes to colleges with scholarships every year. At this banquet the MHSIBCA recognizes the top bowlers and coaches from the past year.

“Colliers has supported our two programs for nearly 20 years and does a fantastic job,” Oxford High School varsity bowling coach Claude “Jr.” Lafnear said. “They support us with quality practice times, different oil patterns on the lanes, flexible scheduling of matches and maybe most importantly they support the middle school feeder program. They are always willing to go above and beyond for the things we need.”

Collier Lanes opened in downtown Oxford in 1948.

Accepting the award on behalf of Collier Lanes was Youth Director for Collier Lanes, Doug Oberry. “Doug has been a longtime supporter of the two programs and has been helping the Lake Orion team as a coach for many years,” Lafnear said. “He has been a very intricate part of the success of both teams. It was Doug who helped get both programs up and running and he has been helping spearhead the middle school development program for years.”

Lafnear said the Oxford and Lake Orion programs have had “extraordinary” success at Collier Lanes. “The 2 programs have won over 20 league titles, many county and regional titles and three state championships,” he said.

The MHSIBCA also named one of its Division 1 scholarships in Justin Shilling’s name. Justin was one of the four students who lost their life at the Nov. 30, 2021 shooting at Oxford High School. On hand to receive a memorial plaque was Justin’s father, Craig Shilling. Justin was a long-time member of both the middle school and high school bowling programs in Oxford.