Walter Ray Williams bowls on ESPN for a PBA Tour title.

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 PBA career titles (44) and total PBA earnings (over $4,000,000 through 2007-08).^[1] He starred in the ten-pin bowling sports documentary A League of Ordinary Gentlemen. He is also a six-time world champion in the game of horseshoes.

Bowling career

Williams is a six-time PBA Player of the Year (1986, '93, '96, '97, '98, 2003) and the all-time leading money winner on the PBA Tour.^[1] 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; with his 42nd title (2006's Dydo Japan Cup) he became the first $4 million career winner. Williams also has the highest monetary winnings in a single season, with $419,700 during his 2002-03 season.^[2] He has also won six World Horseshoe Pitching titles. He was invited to pitch horseshoes at the White House with President George H. W. Bush in 1989.^[3] He finished 2nd in the 2005 World Horseshoe Pitching Championships.

On September 24, 2006, Williams eclipsed Earl Anthony's career record of 41 PBA regular tour titles with his win of the Dydo Japan Cup (and 42nd PBA tour title) over Pete Weber in a 289-236 single game pinfall.^[4] Williams has been known as "Deadeye" because of his accuracy in both bowling and horseshoes.^[5] He is known for having the record highest season spare (88.16%, 655/743; 2004-05) and single-pin (100%, 475/475; 2005-06) conversion percentage, as well as the second best strike (68.21) percentage and match play average (235.23).^[2][5] He also holds records for number of television appearances (>158), most television appearances in a season (1993), most consecutive television appearances (2x; 2000,2001), most major titles in a season (2002-2003), most games bowled in one season (1300; 1993), highest pinfall in a nine game series (2,367; Tucson, AZ, 2004), and most 300 games in a tournament (4; Mechanicsburg, PA, 1993).^[2] Upon winning the 2007 Motor City Classic, he has now won a PBA tour title in a record 15 consecutive seasons, surpassing Earl Anthony's 1970-1983 run.^[5]

Popularity

Although Pete Weber is known 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 for the last 15 years.

He is a member of the USBC and PBA Halls of Fame,^[6][7] a member of the World Horseshoe Pitching Hall of Fame,^[5] and was a two-time past president of the Professional Bowlers Association.^[5]

In the 2007-08 season, at age 48, Walter Ray established the second-highest average in PBA history for a single season — 228.43. Only Norm Duke's 2006-07 mark of 228.47 is higher.^[8][9] Through the 2007-08 season, he has bowled 75 career 300 games in PBA competition.^[5]

Personal

Williams graduated from Cal-Poly Pomona in 1984 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics. 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 the sport of golf.

Williams' 44 PBA National Tour career titles

Among Williams' 44 career titles are six majors. He is a three-time winner of the PBA World Championship, and has also won two U.S. Open crowns and an ABC Masters title.

1. 1986 True Value Open, Peoria, Ill.
2. 1986 Fair Lanes Open, Baltimore, Md.
3. 1986 Hammer Open, Edmond, Okla.
4. 1987 Miller Lite Classic, Miami, Fla.
5. 1987 Hammer Open, Edmond, Okla.
6. 1991 Oronamin C Japan Cup, Tokyo, Japan
7. 1993 Flagship City Open, Erie, Pa.
8. 1993 Columbia 300 Open, San Antonio, Texas
9. 1993 Northwest Classic, Kennewick, Wash.
10. 1993 Oregon Open, Portland, Ore.
11. 1993 Tucson Open, Tucson, Ariz.
12. 1993 Greater Grand Rapids Open, Grand Rapids, Mich.
13. 1993 Paula Carter's Homestead Classic, Homestead, Fla.
14. 1994 Showboat Invitational, Las Vegas, Nev.
15. 1994 Touring Players Championship, Indianapolis, Ind.
16. 1995 Rochester Open, Rochester, N.Y.
17. 1996 Track Synergy Open, Kennewick, Wash.
18. 1996 Showboat Invitational, Las Vegas, Nev.
19. 1996 Brunswick Johnny Petraglia Open, North Brunswick, N.J.
20. 1996 Rochester Open, Rochester, N.Y.
21. 1996 Greater Harrisburg Open, Mechanicsburg, Pa.
22. 1997 Columbia 300 Open, Austin, Texas
23. 1997 Brunswick Johnny Petraglia Open, North Brunswick, N.J.
24. 1997 St. Clair Classic, Fairview Heights, Ill.
25. 1998 Storm Flagship Open, Erie, Pa.
26. 1998 BPAA U.S. Open, Milford, Conn.
27. 1998 Brunswick Long Island Open, Coram, N.Y.
28. 1998 Bay City Classic, Bay City, Mich.
29. 1998 National Finance Challenge, Indianapolis, Ind.
30. 1999 Tucson Open, Tucson, Ariz.
31. 2000 Track Canandaigua Open, Canandaigua, N.Y.
32. 2000 Brunswick Johnny Petraglia Open, North Brunswick, N.J.
33. 2001-02 PBA National Championship, Toledo, Ohio
34. 2001-02 Greater Cincinnati Classic, Erlanger, Ky.
35. 2002-03 Greater Detroit Open, Taylor, Mich.
36. 2002-03 U.S. Open, Fountain Valley, Calif.
37. 2002-03 PBA World Championship, Taylor, Mich.
38. 2003-04 Earl Anthony Classic Presented by Storm, Tacoma, Wash.
39. 2003-04 ABC Masters, Reno, Nev.
40. 2004-05 Uniroyal Tire Classic, Wickliffe, Ohio
41. 2005-06 Denny's PBA World Championship, Indianapolis, Ind.
42. 2006-07 Dydo Japan Cup, Tokyo, Japan
43. 2007-08 Motor City Classic, Taylor, Mich.
44. 2007-08 Great Lakes Classic, Wyoming, Mich.

References

External links

• Walter Ray Official site
• Walter Ray Unofficial site
• Walter Ray Clips
• Text interview with Williams from Wisconsin Public Television