Billy Hardwick
Encyclopedia
Billy Hardwick is a former right-handed ten-pin bowler
and member of the Professional Bowlers Association
. He currently hails from Florida.
, PBA National Championship
, and Tournament of Champions. Hardwick captured all three between 1963 and 1969. There have been only five other Triple Crown winners since: Johnny Petraglia
, Mike Aulby
, Pete Weber
, Norm Duke
and Chris Barnes. Hardwick also captured an ABC Masters
title to earn the career "Grand Slam," which only Duke and Aulby have matched since then. He was named PBA Player of the Year in both the 1963 and 1969 seasons. In 1969, he set a record by winning seven titles in one season. The record would stand until 1978, when it was broken by Mark Roth
's eight titles.
Billy was ranked #12 on the PBA's 2008 list of "50 Greatest Players of the Last 50 Years."
Hardwick retired relatively early from the PBA Tour after developing arthritis
. He was inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame in 1977, and is now the proprietor of Billy Hardwick's All-Star Lanes in Memphis. He is also the father of the comedian and television personality Chris Hardwick
, as well as Emily Hardwick, an Art Major at UC Santa Cruz.
According to his son, Chris Hardwick
on the Opie & Anthony Show on August 12, 2010, Hardwick was the last athlete to film a beer commercial profiling athletes. Chris also said that his father originally had lines in the commercial but got a little intoxicated after so many takes that they cut out his lines for the commercial. A decision was made after that commercial that it would make a bad impression on the youth to give the message that if you want to become a champion, you should drink. Chris also mentioned that his father, at 69, hasn't bowled in about 25 years due to his arthritis.
Ten-pin bowling
Ten-pin bowling is a competitive sport in which a player rolls a bowling ball down a wooden or synthetic lane with the objective of scoring points by knocking down as many pins as possible.-Summary:The lane is bordered along its length by semicylindrical channels Ten-pin bowling (commonly just...
and member of the Professional Bowlers Association
Professional 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...
. He currently hails from Florida.
PBA career
Hardwick joined the PBA Tour in 1961, and amassed a total of 18 PBA titles during his career. He was the first player to capture the PBA career "Triple Crown" -- which is achieved by winning the three primary PBA major tournaments: 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...
, PBA National Championship
PBA World Championship
The 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...
, and Tournament of Champions. Hardwick captured all three between 1963 and 1969. There have been only five other Triple Crown winners since: Johnny Petraglia
Johnny Petraglia
Johnny Petraglia was born in Brooklyn, New York, and now hails from Manalapan Township, New Jersey. He is best known as a left-handed bowler and member of the Professional Bowlers Association , where he won 14 tour titles. He has also won six Senior PBA Tour titles...
, Mike Aulby
Mike Aulby
Mike Aulby is a left-handed bowler and former member of the Professional Bowlers Association . He is one of only three PBA bowlers to win both a Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year award...
, 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...
, 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....
and Chris Barnes. Hardwick also captured an ABC 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....
title to earn the career "Grand Slam," which only Duke and Aulby have matched since then. He was named PBA Player of the Year in both the 1963 and 1969 seasons. In 1969, he set a record by winning seven titles in one season. The record would stand until 1978, when it was broken by Mark Roth
Mark Roth
Mark Roth is a former professional bowler. He was born in Brooklyn, New York City, New York. As a youth he resided in Meiers Corners, Staten Island, New York City, New York.-Bowling career:...
's eight titles.
Billy was ranked #12 on the PBA's 2008 list of "50 Greatest Players of the Last 50 Years."
Hardwick retired relatively early from the PBA Tour after developing arthritis
Arthritis
Arthritis is a form of joint disorder that involves inflammation of one or more joints....
. He was inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame in 1977, and is now the proprietor of Billy Hardwick's All-Star Lanes in Memphis. He is also the father of the comedian and television personality Chris Hardwick
Chris Hardwick
Christopher Ryan "Chris" Hardwick is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, musician, podcaster, television personality, and voice artist...
, as well as Emily Hardwick, an Art Major at UC Santa Cruz.
According to his son, Chris Hardwick
Chris Hardwick
Christopher Ryan "Chris" Hardwick is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, musician, podcaster, television personality, and voice artist...
on the Opie & Anthony Show on August 12, 2010, Hardwick was the last athlete to film a beer commercial profiling athletes. Chris also said that his father originally had lines in the commercial but got a little intoxicated after so many takes that they cut out his lines for the commercial. A decision was made after that commercial that it would make a bad impression on the youth to give the message that if you want to become a champion, you should drink. Chris also mentioned that his father, at 69, hasn't bowled in about 25 years due to his arthritis.
Sources
- www.pba.com, official site of the Professional Bowlers Association and Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour