31:
253:, Tom Hennessey, and Pat Patterson were also on that 1958 team. Said teammate Bluth, "Don was the greatest bowler of his era (and) was the star of the Budweisers. He was our leadoff man. He wasn’t too gung-ho about that role, but he kept getting strikes and so did the rest of us, so he stayed there."
256:
Unlike most bowlers who keep their arm straight on the backswing as they are about to release the ball, Carter kept his elbow bent, never straightening his arm. With the format for bowling (a single player at a time on a stationary lane) lending itself well to early two-camera live television setups,
248:
Open
Championships before he moved back to St. Louis. Carter was then part of the "Budweisers" Bowling Team that won the National Team Match Games title four times in five years (1956, 1957, 1959, 1960). On March 12, 1958, this team established an ABC league series record for a five-man team (3,858
331:
Carter was the PBA's first president, and served four years overall in that capacity. Recurring knee problems forced him to retire from competitive bowling in 1972. Said Carter in a 1994 interview: "I didn't just want to go out there and show up. I wanted to win. If I couldn't win, I didn't want to
229:) between 1952 and 1960, Carter won four times in eight events (he withdrew one year due to injury) and never finished lower than fourth. He won five World Invitational events in a six-year span (1957 to 1962), finishing second the only year he did not win. He also won one
288:. Carter was one of 33 bowlers who each donated $ 50 to get the PBA started, and Elias would later become Carter's business manager. Although the PBA was not formed until Carter was 32 years old, he still won seven PBA titles, including two majors: the inaugural
477:
in the fall of 1946. After one minor league season, he hung up his baseball spikes and returned to St. Louis to take a job at Golden Eagle Lanes. Working as an alley man, bartender and janitor, he bowled as often as he could during his time off.
312:. Carter won four titles and $ 49,000 in prize money in 1962 alone ($ 469,000 in 2022 dollars). That year, he also made 18 top-five finishes (still a PBA record), including seven straight top-five finishes (a feat matched only by
327:
bowling products, at the time the highest single deal of its kind. By that time, Carter was already grossing more than $ 100,000 a year ($ 957,000 in 2022 dollars) between bowling tournaments, exhibitions and other endorsements.
488:(née Thompson) in 1953. The two divorced in 1964. His second marriage, to Pat Hardwick in 1966, ended in a 1972 divorce. In 1973 Carter married professional bowler Paula Sperber, who had won the 1971
317:
225:
Prior to the PBA being formed, Carter was known as a dominant bowler in major tournaments of the 1950s, as well as in team play. In the nine BPAA All-Star tournaments (predecessor to the
1018:
928:
213:, he capitalized on his fame during televised bowling's most popular period to become the first athlete of any kind to earn $ 1,000,000 in a single endorsement deal, for
699:
236:
Carter also won four tournaments during the 1950s in the ABC Open
Championships Classic Division. As a team bowler, Carter helped the Pfeiffer Beer team of
723:
1008:
766:
575:
First bowler to win every possible major tournament in his era (BPAA All-Star, World
Invitational, PBA National Championship and ABC Masters)
496:) Hall of Fame. Don remained married to Paula until his death in 2012. For a few seasons, the PBA held a mixed doubles tournament called the
1013:
197:
He was six-time bowler of the year, a 10-time All-American, and became known simply as "Mr. Bowling." Carter and fellow St. Louis native
1023:
915:
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543:
In 1975, he wrote another book entitled, "Bowling The Pro Way" in association with George Kenney and illustrated by Simon Pavkov.
191:
106:
257:
prominent players like Carter began to be seen on TV sets across the United States. He appeared regularly on bowling shows like
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pins) that stood for more than 35 years. Carter rolled games of 266, 253 and 235 in that session for a 754 series. Ray Bluth,
493:
245:
956:
489:
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and had an outstanding pro bowling career. Carter's first and third wives, Haverly and
Sperber, are both in the WIBC (now
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301:
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are widely regarded as professional bowling's first superstars. He was voted the
Greatest Bowler of All-Time in a 1970
607:
481:
In 1951 he was invited to bowl for the
Pfeiffer Beer team in Detroit, where his bowling career reached high momentum.
551:
First to record three All-Events totals of 1900 pins or higher at the ABC Open
Championships (1951, 1952 and 1953)
527:
Established a 234 league average in 1959, the highest that season in a sanctioned
American Bowling Congress league
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beer, which had begun using athletes and celebrities in its ad campaigns a few years prior.
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First to bowl an 800 series on television (809 at the 1956 National
Bowling Championships)
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compete. My knees made it so I couldn't practice and hardly could complete a tournament."
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First athlete to sign a $ 1 million endorsement contract, inking a multi-year deal with
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In 1958, he wrote a book entitled "10 Secrets of
Bowling" with the help of illustrator
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992:
470:
465:. He was a baseball player in high school, and played AAU baseball with the likes of
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proposed a pro tour to a number of players at the 1958 ABC Open Championships in
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417:
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237:
700:"Dick Weber Was Bowling's Everyman Superstar And Greatest Ambassador"
563:
First bowler to crack the jackpot for six consecutive strikes on the
518:. He was 85. His first wife LaVerne would die only two months later.
560:
television show (1961), as well as the first to make the spare twice
503:
Beginning in 1978, Carter appeared in selected TV commercials for
421:
636:"Today in History, July 29" at The Library of Congress website.
581:
First bowler to have a professional tournament named after him
323:
In 1964, he signed a $ 1,000,000 multi-year deal to endorse
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510:
Carter died on January 5, 2012, from complications of both
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Bowling Writers Association of America's Bowler of the Year
182:, he learned the game while working a childhood job as a
798:"Don Carter, USBC and PBA Hall of Famer, dies at age 85"
658:"Don Carter, USBC and PBA Hall of Famer, dies at age 85"
533:
Inducted into PBA Hall of Fame, 1975 (inaugural member)
823:"Wellston, and St. Louis Co., MO Stories and History"
308:
PBA National Championship, but finished runner-up to
174:(July 29, 1926 – January 5, 2012) was a right-handed
652:
650:
648:
646:
644:
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547:Carter was known for a number of bowling "firsts":
155:
124:
116:
102:
97:
85:
67:
53:
45:
40:
461:in 1944, and spent two years as a radarman in the
205:poll, and ranked #1 among 20th Century bowlers by
841:"Bowling Loses A Legend - Don Carter Passes Away"
929:"Former "First Lady of PBA" LaVerne Carter Dies"
280:With Carter's encouragement, lawyer/businessman
895:"2010 Bayer Don and Paula Carter Mixed Doubles"
498:Don and Paula Carter Mixed Doubles Championship
554:First to convert the sweepstakes spare on the
186:, and went on to become one of the legends of
473:. He signed a minor-league contract with the
8:
1019:United States Navy personnel of World War II
864:
862:
761:
759:
757:
755:
753:
751:
718:
716:
21:
918:, bowlingvids.com; retrieved June 12, 2014.
767:"Don Carter, bowling superstar, dies at 85"
391:1960 First Annual PBA National Championship
693:
691:
683:First Annual National Championship article
29:
20:
963:, doncarter.com; retrieved June 25, 2013.
608:"Legendary Bowler Don Carter's Bio Page"
827:freepages.history.rootsweb.ancestry.com
598:
336:Pre-PBA and Non-PBA individual titles
7:
792:
790:
530:Inducted into ABC Hall of Fame, 1970
16:American professional ten-pin bowler
484:Carter married professional bowler
732:. January 16, 2012. Archived from
14:
685:, pba.com; accessed June 4, 2017.
304:. He also made the finals of the
1009:American ten-pin bowling players
916:Lite Beer from Miller commercial
192:Professional Bowlers Association
931:. March 9, 2012. Archived from
382:1960 Paramus Eastern PBA Open (
1:
698:Paul, Cozby (March 3, 2016).
316:since), and he was named the
190:and a founding member of the
178:professional bowler. Born in
209:in 1999. At the vanguard of
1014:Sportspeople from St. Louis
1040:
1024:United States Navy sailors
578:First president of the PBA
522:Milestones and recognition
428:1962 Santa Fair PBA Open (
959:January 10, 2012, at the
444:1962 Rochester PBA Open (
290:PBA National Championship
165:
93:
28:
982:March 23, 2018, at the
870:"Don Carter's Bio Page"
457:Carter enlisted in the
416:1962 Houston PBA Open (
365:1962 World Invitational
362:1961 World Invitational
359:1960 World Invitational
356:1959 World Invitational
350:1957 World Invitational
475:Philadelphia Athletics
436:1962 Tucson PBA Open (
141:(1 individual, 4 team)
586:Ebonite International
215:Ebonite International
211:celebrity endorsement
134:5 World International
606:Promotions, Carter.
263:Championship Bowling
41:Personal information
772:The Washington Post
736:on January 20, 2012
446:Rochester, New York
430:Seattle, Washington
384:Paramus, New Jersey
180:St. Louis, Missouri
172:Donald James Carter
131:4 BPAA (all majors)
98:Bowling Information
61:St. Louis, Missouri
49:Donald James Carter
35:Don Carter, c. 1955
25:
935:on January 2, 2014
729:Sports Illustrated
459:United States Navy
395:Memphis, Tennessee
353:1958 BPAA All-Star
347:1957 BPAA All-Star
344:1954 BPAA All-Star
341:1953 BPAA All-Star
286:Syracuse, New York
977:Official web site
874:www.doncarter.com
847:. January 6, 2012
775:. January 7, 2012
664:. January 6, 2012
490:U.S. Women's Open
169:
168:
86:Years active
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964:
954:Don Carter stats
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724:"For The Record"
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618:on June 19, 2018
614:. Archived from
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538:Anthony Ravielli
402:1961 ABC Masters
374:Major titles in
203:Bowling Magazine
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569:television show
566:Jackpot Bowling
557:Make That Spare
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486:LaVerne Haverly
455:
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438:Tucson, Arizona
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372:
370:PBA Tour titles
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274:Make That Spare
268:Jackpot Bowling
244:, win the 1953
233:title in 1961.
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207:Bowlers Journal
194:(PBA) in 1958.
188:ten-pin bowling
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71:January 5, 2012
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46:Birth name
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471:Joe Garagiola
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453:Personal life
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259:Bowling Stars
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117:Dominant hand
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57:July 29, 1926
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937:. Retrieved
933:the original
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911:
899:. Retrieved
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849:. Retrieved
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807:February 14,
805:. Retrieved
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777:. Retrieved
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738:. Retrieved
734:the original
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703:. Retrieved
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668:November 30,
666:. Retrieved
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620:. Retrieved
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73:(2012-01-05)
18:
1004:2012 deaths
999:1926 births
879:January 19,
851:December 3,
779:January 19,
740:January 19,
705:December 2,
505:Miller Lite
298:ABC Masters
282:Eddie Elias
231:ABC Masters
103:Affiliation
993:Categories
939:January 2,
901:August 16,
622:October 9,
593:References
467:Yogi Berra
314:Dick Weber
251:Dick Weber
199:Dick Weber
148:(2 majors)
23:Don Carter
897:. pba.com
516:pneumonia
512:emphysema
376:bold type
227:U.S. Open
184:pinsetter
89:1951-1972
980:Archived
957:Archived
802:bowl.com
662:bowl.com
410:Michigan
296:and the
242:Michigan
176:American
156:Sponsors
146:PBA Tour
109:, BPAA,
588:in 1964
418:Houston
406:Detroit
325:Ebonite
238:Detroit
160:Ebonite
422:Texas
120:Right
941:2014
903:2017
881:2012
853:2020
809:2024
781:2012
742:2012
707:2020
670:2020
624:2015
514:and
494:USBC
469:and
306:1962
302:1961
294:1960
271:and
125:Wins
68:Died
54:Born
300:in
292:in
246:ABC
139:ABC
111:ABC
107:PBA
995::
872:.
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
