Walter Ray Williams
Encyclopedia
Walter Ray Williams, Jr. (born October 6, 1959 in Eureka, California
) is one of the top-ranking professional ten-pin bowlers in history. He currently holds the record for all-time standard PBA Tour
career titles (47) and total PBA earnings (over $4.25 million through the 2009-10 season). He won at least one PBA Tour title in 17 consecutive seasons (1993 through 2009-10), which is also a record. He starred in the ten-pin bowling sports documentary A League of Ordinary Gentlemen
. He is also a nine-time world champion in the game of horseshoes
(3 junior titles and 6 men's titles).
Player
of the Year (1986, '93, '96, '97, '98, 2003, 2010) which is one above Earl Anthony for the most Player of the Year awards. He has won a record eight Bowling Writers Bowler of the Year awards and is also the all-time leading money winner on the PBA Tour. He has the most PBA money titles (seven). He was the first bowler in history to surpass $2 million in career earnings, achieving this in 1997. With his win in the 2003 U.S. Open, he also became the first $3 million career winner; and became the first $4 million career winner in 2008. Williams also has the highest monetary winnings in a single season, with $419,700 during his 2002–03 season.
On September 24, 2006, Williams eclipsed Earl Anthony
's then recognized career record of 41 PBA regular tour titles with his 42nd win at the Dydo Japan Cup
over Pete Weber
in a 289–236 single game pinfall. [Note: Anthony's title count was amended to 43 in 2008, when the PBA chose to include ABC Masters titles earned by a PBA member as PBA Tour titles.] Williams has been known as "Deadeye" in PBA fan circles, but he actually first got the nickname in horseshoes, when he threw 45 ringers out of a possible 50 in a junior tournament when he was 10 years old. He is known for several PBA achievements:
In the 2007–08 season, at age 48, Walter Ray established the second-highest average in PBA history for a single season — 228.34. Only Norm Duke
's 2006–07 mark of 228.47 is higher. Through the 2009–10 season, he has bowled 80 career 300 games in PBA competition.
Upon winning the 2009 Motor City Open championship, Williams extended his record of winning at least one PBA Tour title per season to 17 consecutive seasons, two years more than Earl Anthony's 1970–84 run. Williams' streak ended when he failed to win a title in the 2010-11 season.
In August 2008 Walter Ray joined Team USA to participate in that year's FIQ
World Men's Championships in Thailand. For the first time professionals were allowed to compete in this truly international event with over 330 participants from 56 countries. Walter Ray was the most successful bowler, winning 4 medals: Gold in Masters, Gold in Singles, Gold in Team and a Bronze medal in Trios.
Williams made his PBA Senior Tour debut on May 3, 2010, at the Miller High Life Senior Classic in Mooresville, NC
. To the surprise of no one, he won the tournament three days later. On June 18, 2010, Williams had a chance to become just the second bowler to win the USBC Masters and USBC Senior Masters in a career (joining Dave Soutar
), and the first to win both in the same year. Williams made the three-game final, but he was denied the title when he fell, 705-628, to fellow PBA Hall of Famer Wayne Webb
.
Walter did bowl enough on the Senior Tour to earn 2010 PBA Senior Rookie of the Year honors.
In the 2011 PBA Senior season, Williams again had a chance to match Soutar as the only bowlers to win both the USBC Masters and Senior USBC Masters. But he again came in second, this time falling to Dale Traber in the finals, 707-695.
is frequently presented as the poster-boy of the PBA to the general public, Williams, in bowling circles, might be the most respected and popular player on tour. This is because of his cool, confident demeanor, and his unparalleled success over the last two decades. Walter's longevity is further evidenced by the fact that more than one-third of his 47 titles (17) and 6 of his 8 majors have come after he reached age 40. Williams' most recent title in the 2010 USBC Masters
came after he reached age 50. In fact, Williams swept every major PBA statistical category in the 2009-10 season, leading the tour in earnings ($152,670), average (222.89), match play appearances (15), and overall competition points. (See PBA Bowling Tour: 2009-10 season
.)
On his longevity and future plans, Williams said: "As long as I feel good and stay competitive, I’ll keep on bowling. I don’t want to be out here if I’m not competitive; I’d be too frustrated. When I can’t compete, when it’s isn’t fun, I’ll retire. I have no issue with that. But I feel like I’m still doing pretty well."
Walter was named "Male Bowler of the Decade" (2000–2009) in the Winter, 2010 issue of U.S. Bowler -- an incredible accomplishment considering he started the decade at age 40. He won his unprecedented seventh PBA Player of the Year award in 2010, becoming the oldest player in history (50) to earn that honor.
He is a member of the USBC
and PBA Halls of Fame, a member of the World Horseshoe Pitching Hall of Fame, and was a two-time past president of the Professional Bowlers Association.
In the 2008–09 season, the PBA's 50th, the PBA commissioned a panel of bowling experts to recognize the "50 Greatest Players of the Last 50 Years." Walter Ray finished #2 on the list, behind only Earl Anthony. On an ESPN telecast January 25, 2009, Nelson Burton Jr.
noted that the voting was close, but Anthony reached the #1 spot primarily for having more major titles than Williams (10 to 7 at the time). Williams was gracious in accepting second-place honors:
"I feel Earl's record is better than mine because it was more condensed. Earl bowled 14 years and 400 or so events. I've bowled well over 600 by now, maybe 700. I feel very pleased to be No. 2."
Pitching titles. He was invited to pitch horseshoes at the White House
with President George H. W. Bush in 1989. He finished 2nd in the 2005 World Horseshoe Pitching Championships after switching from right handed to left handed.
."
He is married to Paige Pennington. The couple reside in Ocala, FL, and adopted a daughter in 2007. In addition to being a champion in both bowling and horseshoes, Williams has a three-handicap in golf
.
He has also won two PBA Senior Tour titles.
Eureka, California
Eureka is the principal city and the county seat of Humboldt County, California, United States. Its population was 27,191 at the 2010 census, up from 26,128 at the 2000 census....
) is one of the top-ranking professional ten-pin bowlers in history. He currently holds the record for all-time standard PBA Tour
PBA Tour
The Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour is the major professional tour for ten-pin bowling, operated by the Professional Bowlers Association. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, the PBA Tour consists of "exempt" bowlers who are a part of the almost 4,300 members worldwide...
career titles (47) and total PBA earnings (over $4.25 million through the 2009-10 season). He won at least one PBA Tour title in 17 consecutive seasons (1993 through 2009-10), which is also a record. He starred in the ten-pin bowling sports documentary A League of Ordinary Gentlemen
A League of Ordinary Gentlemen
A League of Ordinary Gentlemen is a documentary film about ten-pin bowling that was released on DVD on March 21, 2006. It was written and directed by Christopher Browne and stars PBA Tour players Pete Weber, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Chris Barnes, and Wayne Webb...
. He is also a nine-time world champion in the game of horseshoes
Horseshoes
Horseshoes is an outdoor game played between two people using four horseshoes and two throwing targets set in a sandbox area. The game is played by the players alternating turns tossing horseshoes at stakes in the ground, which are traditionally placed 40 feet apart...
(3 junior titles and 6 men's titles).
Bowling career
Williams is a seven-time PBAProfessional Bowlers Association
The Professional Bowlers Association is the major sanctioning body for the sport of professional ten-pin bowling in the United States. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, the PBA membership consists of almost 4,300 members worldwide...
Player
Bowling
Bowling Bowling Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule...
of the Year (1986, '93, '96, '97, '98, 2003, 2010) which is one above Earl Anthony for the most Player of the Year awards. He has won a record eight Bowling Writers Bowler of the Year awards and is also the all-time leading money winner on the PBA Tour. He has the most PBA money titles (seven). He was the first bowler in history to surpass $2 million in career earnings, achieving this in 1997. With his win in the 2003 U.S. Open, he also became the first $3 million career winner; and became the first $4 million career winner in 2008. Williams also has the highest monetary winnings in a single season, with $419,700 during his 2002–03 season.
On September 24, 2006, Williams eclipsed Earl Anthony
Earl Anthony
Earl Roderick Anthony was a left-handed American professional bowler who amassed records of 41 titles and six bowler of the year awards on the Professional Bowlers Association Tour. His title count was amended to 43 in 2008, when the PBA chose to include ABC Masters titles earned by a PBA member...
's then recognized career record of 41 PBA regular tour titles with his 42nd win at the Dydo Japan Cup
Dydo Japan Cup
Dydo Japan Cup is an annual PBA and JPBA bowling event. The tournament typically featured the top 16 bowlers from each organization, and has been dominated by PBA Tour professionals since 1989. The last JPBA bowler to win the event was Takeo Sakai in 1988.The tournament celebrated its 25th...
over Pete Weber
Pete Weber
Peter David "Pete" Weber, nicknamed “PDW”, , is a famous bowling professional on the Professional Bowlers Association Tour. Weber is one of the sport's most popular active players and is well known for his maverick, rebellious personality...
in a 289–236 single game pinfall. [Note: Anthony's title count was amended to 43 in 2008, when the PBA chose to include ABC Masters titles earned by a PBA member as PBA Tour titles.] Williams has been known as "Deadeye" in PBA fan circles, but he actually first got the nickname in horseshoes, when he threw 45 ringers out of a possible 50 in a junior tournament when he was 10 years old. He is known for several PBA achievements:
- Record highest season spare percentage (88.16%, 655/743; 2004–05) and single-pin conversion percentage (100%, 475/475; 2005–06)
- Second-best strike (68.21) percentage and match play average (235.23).
- Record number of career television appearances (178 through the 2010-11 season), most television appearances in a season (15 in 1993), most consecutive television appearances 5 (2x; 2000, 2001)
- Most final match appearances (92, through the 2009-10 season)
- Tied for most major titles in a season (two in 2002–03)
- Most games bowled in one season (1300 in 1993)
- Second-highest pinfall in a nine game series (2,367 in Tucson, AZ, 2004; broken by Eugene McCune's 2,468 pins in 2010)
- Most 300 games in one tournament (4; Mechanicsburg, PA, 1993)
- Eight time winner of the George Young High Average Award and Harry Smith Points Leader Award (most all-time for each award)
- First and, so far, only PBA player to convert the 4-6-7-10 split on television
In the 2007–08 season, at age 48, Walter Ray established the second-highest average in PBA history for a single season — 228.34. Only Norm Duke
Norm Duke
Norm Duke is an American professional bowler currently on the Professional Bowlers Association Tour. He has bowled 58 perfect 300 games in PBA competition, including the 15th televised 300 game in PBA Tour history on January 5, 2003....
's 2006–07 mark of 228.47 is higher. Through the 2009–10 season, he has bowled 80 career 300 games in PBA competition.
Upon winning the 2009 Motor City Open championship, Williams extended his record of winning at least one PBA Tour title per season to 17 consecutive seasons, two years more than Earl Anthony's 1970–84 run. Williams' streak ended when he failed to win a title in the 2010-11 season.
In August 2008 Walter Ray joined Team USA to participate in that year's FIQ
Fédération Internationale des Quilleurs
The Fédération Internationale des Quilleurs is the world governing body of nine-pin and ten-pin bowling...
World Men's Championships in Thailand. For the first time professionals were allowed to compete in this truly international event with over 330 participants from 56 countries. Walter Ray was the most successful bowler, winning 4 medals: Gold in Masters, Gold in Singles, Gold in Team and a Bronze medal in Trios.
PBA Senior Tour
After turning 50, Williams announced that he would participate in the 2010 PBA Senior Tour, but in limited events due to Team USA and other obligations.Williams made his PBA Senior Tour debut on May 3, 2010, at the Miller High Life Senior Classic in Mooresville, NC
Mooresville, North Carolina
Mooresville is a large suburban town in southern Iredell County, North Carolina, USA. It is in the Metrolina metro area. The population was 32,133 at the 2010 United States Census...
. To the surprise of no one, he won the tournament three days later. On June 18, 2010, Williams had a chance to become just the second bowler to win the USBC Masters and USBC Senior Masters in a career (joining Dave Soutar
Dave Soutar
David Soutar was a successful professional ten-pin bowler on the Professional Bowlers Association Tour. He won 18 times on the regular PBA Tour, and seven more times on the Senior PBA Tour...
), and the first to win both in the same year. Williams made the three-game final, but he was denied the title when he fell, 705-628, to fellow PBA Hall of Famer Wayne Webb
Wayne Webb
Wayne Webb is the son of a Ten-pin bowling alley operator from Rehoboth, Massachusetts, USA and was one of the world's best Ten-pin bowlers from the late 1970s to the end of the 1980s...
.
Walter did bowl enough on the Senior Tour to earn 2010 PBA Senior Rookie of the Year honors.
In the 2011 PBA Senior season, Williams again had a chance to match Soutar as the only bowlers to win both the USBC Masters and Senior USBC Masters. But he again came in second, this time falling to Dale Traber in the finals, 707-695.
Popularity and Longevity
Although Pete WeberPete Weber
Peter David "Pete" Weber, nicknamed “PDW”, , is a famous bowling professional on the Professional Bowlers Association Tour. Weber is one of the sport's most popular active players and is well known for his maverick, rebellious personality...
is frequently presented as the poster-boy of the PBA to the general public, Williams, in bowling circles, might be the most respected and popular player on tour. This is because of his cool, confident demeanor, and his unparalleled success over the last two decades. Walter's longevity is further evidenced by the fact that more than one-third of his 47 titles (17) and 6 of his 8 majors have come after he reached age 40. Williams' most recent title in the 2010 USBC Masters
USBC Masters
The USBC Masters is a championship ten pin bowling event conducted by the United States Bowling Congress. The Professional Bowlers Association began recognizing it as a title event in 1998, and it was designated one of the four majors in 2000....
came after he reached age 50. In fact, Williams swept every major PBA statistical category in the 2009-10 season, leading the tour in earnings ($152,670), average (222.89), match play appearances (15), and overall competition points. (See PBA Bowling Tour: 2009-10 season
PBA Bowling Tour: 2009-10 season
- Tournament Schedule and Recaps :In a cost-cutting move, the PBA held the first half of the 2009-10 season in Allen Park, MI under the name PBA World Series of Bowling. Preliminary rounds of the televised tournaments were held in August, with television tapings on Labor Day weekend...
.)
On his longevity and future plans, Williams said: "As long as I feel good and stay competitive, I’ll keep on bowling. I don’t want to be out here if I’m not competitive; I’d be too frustrated. When I can’t compete, when it’s isn’t fun, I’ll retire. I have no issue with that. But I feel like I’m still doing pretty well."
Walter was named "Male Bowler of the Decade" (2000–2009) in the Winter, 2010 issue of U.S. Bowler -- an incredible accomplishment considering he started the decade at age 40. He won his unprecedented seventh PBA Player of the Year award in 2010, becoming the oldest player in history (50) to earn that honor.
He is a member of the USBC
United States Bowling Congress
The United States Bowling Congress is a sports membership organization dedicated to ten-pin bowling in the United States. It was formed in 2005 by a merger of the American Bowling Congress, Women's International Bowling Congress, Young American Bowling Alliance, and USA Bowling...
and PBA Halls of Fame, a member of the World Horseshoe Pitching Hall of Fame, and was a two-time past president of the Professional Bowlers Association.
In the 2008–09 season, the PBA's 50th, the PBA commissioned a panel of bowling experts to recognize the "50 Greatest Players of the Last 50 Years." Walter Ray finished #2 on the list, behind only Earl Anthony. On an ESPN telecast January 25, 2009, Nelson Burton Jr.
Nelson Burton Jr.
Nelson "Bo" Burton, Jr. is a professional ten-pin bowler and former longtime analyst for the Professional Bowlers Tour on ABC Television. He is the son of Nelson Burton, Sr., who himself was a successful bowler in his day, competing with the likes of Glenn Allison and Billy Welu...
noted that the voting was close, but Anthony reached the #1 spot primarily for having more major titles than Williams (10 to 7 at the time). Williams was gracious in accepting second-place honors:
"I feel Earl's record is better than mine because it was more condensed. Earl bowled 14 years and 400 or so events. I've bowled well over 600 by now, maybe 700. I feel very pleased to be No. 2."
Horseshoes
Walter Ray has also won six Men's World HorseshoeHorseshoes
Horseshoes is an outdoor game played between two people using four horseshoes and two throwing targets set in a sandbox area. The game is played by the players alternating turns tossing horseshoes at stakes in the ground, which are traditionally placed 40 feet apart...
Pitching titles. He was invited to pitch horseshoes at the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
with President George H. W. Bush in 1989. He finished 2nd in the 2005 World Horseshoe Pitching Championships after switching from right handed to left handed.
Personal
Williams graduated from Cal Poly Pomona in 1984 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics and a minor in Mathematics. He has stated that, if he wasn't a successful bowler, he would "probably be either a teacher or working for NASANASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
."
He is married to Paige Pennington. The couple reside in Ocala, FL, and adopted a daughter in 2007. In addition to being a champion in both bowling and horseshoes, Williams has a three-handicap in golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
.
Williams' 47 PBA National Tour career titles
Among Williams' 47 career PBA Tour titles are eight majors (in bold type below). He is a three-time winner of the PBA World Championship, and has also won two U.S. Open crowns, two ABC/USBC Masters titles, and a Touring Players Championship. He needs only a Tournament of Champions title to complete a career "triple crown" and a career "super grand slam."He has also won two PBA Senior Tour titles.
Standard PBA Tour Titles
- 1986 True Value Open, Peoria, Ill.
- 1986 Fair Lanes Open, Baltimore, Md.
- 1986 Hammer Open, Edmond, Okla.
- 1987 Miller Lite Classic, Miami, Fla.
- 1987 Hammer Open, Edmond, Okla.
- 1991 Oronamin C Japan Cup, Tokyo, Japan
- 1993 Flagship City Open, Erie, Pa.
- 1993 Columbia 300 Open, San Antonio, Texas
- 1993 Northwest Classic, Kennewick, Wash.
- 1993 Oregon Open, Portland, Ore.
- 1993 Tucson Open, Tucson, Ariz.
- 1993 Greater Grand Rapids Open, Grand Rapids, Mich.
- 1993 Paula Carter's Homestead Classic, Homestead, Fla.
- 1994 Showboat Invitational, Las Vegas, Nev.
- 1994 Touring Players Championship, Indianapolis, Ind.
- 1995 Rochester Open, Rochester, N.Y.
- 1996 Track Synergy Open, Kennewick, Wash.
- 1996 Showboat Invitational, Las Vegas, Nev.
- 1996 Brunswick Johnny Petraglia Open, North Brunswick, N.J.
- 1996 Rochester Open, Rochester, N.Y.
- 1996 Greater Harrisburg Open, Mechanicsburg, Pa.
- 1997 Columbia 300 Open, Austin, Texas
- 1997 Brunswick Johnny Petraglia Open, North Brunswick, N.J.
- 1997 St. Clair Classic, Fairview Heights, Ill.
- 1998 Storm Flagship Open, Erie, Pa.
- 1998 BPAA U.S. OpenU.S. Open (bowling)The U.S. Open is one of the four major tournaments in the Professional Bowlers Association. The first modern-day U.S. Open tournament in the PBA took place in 1971 and was won by Mike Limongello. With four victories, Pete Weber holds the most modern-day U.S. Open trophies.The U.S...
, Milford, Conn. - 1998 Brunswick Long Island Open, Coram, N.Y.
- 1998 Bay City Classic, Bay City, Mich.
- 1998 National Finance Challenge, Indianapolis, Ind.
- 1999 Tucson Open, Tucson, Ariz.
- 2000 Track Canandaigua Open, Canandaigua, N.Y.
- 2000 Brunswick Johnny Petraglia Open, North Brunswick, N.J.
- 2001–02 PBA National ChampionshipPBA World ChampionshipThe PBA World Championship is one of the four major PBA bowling events. Prior to 2002, the tournament was called the PBA National Championship. The PBA National Championship was first contested in 1960, then called the First Annual National Championship...
, Toledo, Ohio - 2001–02 Greater Cincinnati Classic, Erlanger, Ky.
- 2002–03 Greater Detroit Open, Taylor, Mich.
- 2002–03 U.S. Open, Fountain Valley, Calif.
- 2002–03 PBA World Championship, Taylor, Mich.
- 2003–04 Earl Anthony Classic Presented by Storm, Tacoma, Wash.
- 2003–04 ABC MastersUSBC MastersThe USBC Masters is a championship ten pin bowling event conducted by the United States Bowling Congress. The Professional Bowlers Association began recognizing it as a title event in 1998, and it was designated one of the four majors in 2000....
, Reno, Nev. - 2004–05 Uniroyal Tire Classic, Wickliffe, Ohio
- 2005–06 Denny's PBA World Championship, Indianapolis, Ind.
- 2006–07 Dydo Japan CupDydo Japan CupDydo Japan Cup is an annual PBA and JPBA bowling event. The tournament typically featured the top 16 bowlers from each organization, and has been dominated by PBA Tour professionals since 1989. The last JPBA bowler to win the event was Takeo Sakai in 1988.The tournament celebrated its 25th...
, Tokyo, Japan - 2007–08 Motor City ClassicMotor City ClassicThe Motor City Classic is a ten-pin bowling tournament on the PBA Tour. It is among the first regular season events on the tour and is played at Taylor Lanes in Taylor, Michigan. The tournament has existed since 2006, with Tony Reyes winning the inaugural event over Wes Malott, 255-238. Reyes...
, Taylor, Mich. - 2007–08 Great Lakes Classic, Wyoming, Mich.
- 2008–09 Lake County Indiana Golden Anniversary Championship, Hammond, Ind.
- 2009-10 Motor City Open, Allen Park, Mich.
- 2009-10 USBC MastersUSBC MastersThe USBC Masters is a championship ten pin bowling event conducted by the United States Bowling Congress. The Professional Bowlers Association began recognizing it as a title event in 1998, and it was designated one of the four majors in 2000....
, Reno, Nev.
PBA Senior Tour Titles
- 2010 Miller High Life Senior Classic, Mooresville, NC.
- 2011 PBA Senior Mark Roth Allentown Open, Allentown, PA.
External links
- Walter Ray Official site
- You Tube Video of Walter Ray Williams, Jr. 4-6-7-10 split conversion
- Walter Ray Unofficial site
- Walter Ray Clips
- Text interview with Williams from Wisconsin Public Television