Bowling great Don Carter dies at 85

Yahoo ^ | 1/6/12 | Steven Wine | AP

[NormsRevenge]

MIAMI (AP) — Don Carter, the bowling great with the unorthodox style who flourished as a genuine sports celebrity during the game's golden age on TV, has died. He was 85.

Carter died at his home in Miami on Thursday night, the Professional Bowlers Association said Friday. He recently was hospitalized with pneumonia complicated by emphysema.

Carter, known as "Mr. Bowling," was the game's original superstar. He became his sport's most recognizable name at a time when alleys were thriving across the country and bowling was starting to assert itself as a fixture on television. Carter was a leading force in the formation of the PBA in 1958 and became a charter member of the PBA Hall of Fame in 1975.

He had a style all his own as he took his steps to the line. With his stooped shoulders and cocked elbow, he made a deep knee bend as he unleashed the ball as if pushing it toward the pins.

...

"Don was the greatest bowler of his era," Bluth said. "There was no one like him."

He also did something that no one in baseball, football or golf ever did. He became the first athlete in American sports history to sign a $1 million marketing endorsement contract, with bowling ball manufacturer Ebonite in 1964.

"It is impossible to put into words what Don Carter meant to the PBA and the sport of bowling," PBA Commissioner Tom Clark said. "He was a pioneer, a champion and will never be forgotten."

The 6-foot, 200-pound Carter bowled five 800 series, 13 perfect games and six 299s in sanctioned play. He practically held a monopoly on bowling honors. He was voted Bowler of the Year six times (1953, 1954, 1957, 1958, 1960, 1962).

[NormsRevenge]

RIP Don

The 'Babe Ruth' of Bowling

[NormsRevenge]

13 perfect games.. no big deal.

Kim Jong Il once bowled 5 perfect games in a row..

I was a wee tot when he was on the boob tube on Saturday Bowling.

[TADSLOS]

13 perfect games. I’d love to bowl just one.

[dfwgator]

13 perfect games. I’d love to bowl just one.

The late Kim Jong Il bowled a 300 game his first time.

[NormsRevenge]

I think I broke 200 once .. amazing what folks like Don could do with a bowling ball.. must have been the beer,, I didn’t have much of a hook either.. pure let ‘er rip and hope for pincount.

[NormsRevenge]

We’re losing all the greats, huh?

[massgopguy]

I remember him going head to head with Earl Anthony.

[OrangeHoof]

Gone to the great 7-10 split in the sky,,,

[BerryDingle]

Don Carter: Perhaps the Greatest Bowler Ever

[who knows what evil?]

...spent many a Saturday afternoon watching him on ABC...Mark Roth, Earl Anthony...

[who knows what evil?]

Can you imagine the disappointment of throwing SIX frickin’ 299 games??? OMG.

[Jack Hydrazine]

How’s the Un doing at bowling?

[Jack Hydrazine]

How do you bowl a 299? Get strikes on every frame except the last one then hit all the pins with the exception of one and then pick up the spare?

[orinoco]

Chris Schenkel broadcaster!

[TADSLOS]

I've taken up bowling recently, now middle aged, in a serious way- bought my first ball, had it custom drilled, took several lessons from the shop pro. I can bowl a respectable 160 - 170 game now. My high score to date is 234. Bowling is much like golf in the sense that so many little things matter and must come together consistently to make good scores. It's as much mental as physical- maybe more so. Lane conditions matter too, which I never realized. You must be able to read oil patterns on the lane and adjust your position and aim points accordingly.

I really marvel at bowlers who consistently bowl in the mid 200s.

[who knows what evil?]

11 strikes; then 9 pins on the last ball...

[advertising guy]

big deal...Chuck Norris bowls overhand

[who knows what evil?]

Chris Schenkel broadcaster!

Exactly!

[Interesting Times]

Can you imagine the disappointment of throwing SIX frickin’ 299 games??? OMG.

He evidently threw strikes on the first 11 balls 19 times in tournament play, then hit a final strike to complete the perfect game 13 times out of 19. Impressive.

[Interesting Times]

I realized (just as I hit Post, natch), that Carter might have also had a couple of 298s or 297s.