Bill rolled his own 300 several years later, and luckily, Mike was there to share in the moment.

When Mike's son, Chris, became the third generation of Wilson bowlers to shoot 300 last month, let's just say that the whole family was pretty ecstatic about it.   "I always hoped that my mother and father would be there for my first 300," says Chris, who bowled his perfecto on Jan. 24 at Beacon Bowl during a five-game tournament.

"On my last shot, when I rolled the ball, I heard my day yell, "That's it, baby!"  And then my mom came running out on the approach and about knocked me over.  She was screaming"

....So who's the best bowler in the family?

"Right now, any one of us on a given night can beat the others," Mike says.   "But Chris has the best release of us all.  In another year, he'll be out-averaging us."

"In another year, he'll be smoking us, " Bill chimes in.

Bill and Betty Wilson decided to give bowling a try after moving to Bonita Springs in 1971.  They had no idea what kind of family bowling tree they were starting.

Their daughter Lisa and her husband, Pat Ciniello, are the chief stockholders of a company that owns Woodside Lanes, Beacon Bowl, Coral Lanes and All Star Lanes in Ft. Myers.

Their other daughter, Becky, is not a bowler, but her 8-year-old son, Matt, already enjoys bowling, as does Lisa and Pat's 8-year-old son, Marc.

Bill's sister, Mary McDonald, is the Director of Promotions at the four bowling centers.  Her son Robbie, 27, has four perfect games of his own, and brother, Greg, 34, is the family's highest-average bowler, at about 220, but he's still waiting on that first 300.

"He's just cursed," Mike says.  "He's been close a bunch of times, but he keeps getting robbed."

Mike and his wife, Shiela, have three children -Chris, Donnie, 26 and Jennifer, 23.   Donnie and Jennifer are avid bowlers as well, Donnie had a 290 game a couple of years back.

Of Mike's seven perfect games, there was one about three years ago at the the University Lanes in Bonita that was particularly memorable.

"I walked in during the fourth frame, so I didn't get to practice, and I nailed all 12 of them," Mike remembers.

Another time, Mike showed up late again and threw two gutter balls to start his first game - and then 11 straight strikes for a 270.

On league nights, the competition isn't just among the teams, it's among the many members of the Wilson family.  They always root for one another, but everybody wants to go home with bragging rights, too.

Chris still needs six perfect games to catch up with his dad, but he doesn't see that as a big problem.

"I'll definitely pass him, now that I've got that first one out of the way," Chris says confidently.  "With the technology of bowling balls today, I think I'll be better than my father and my grandfather."

Chris knows he has his work cut out, but he's aiming high.  A shot at the pro tour isn't out of the question.

"I devote a lot of time to this.  I practice 30 or 35 games a week, easy," he says.  "I'm in bowling to be known."

And who knows, in another 15 or 20 years, there could be a fourth -generation 300 bowler in the Wilson family.  Chris has a son, Bailey, who already seems to have a knack for the game - and he's just over 1 1/2 years old.

"He loves it," Chris says.  "He knows that you have to stay behind the foul line and he goes right back to the ball return after he throws the ball.  So I think he's going to be a good bowler."