Most professional athletes have long retired by the time they turn 48, but bowler Walter Ray Williams Jr. may be entering the prime of his career.
Williams added to his legacy this past Sunday when he won his Professional Bowlers Association-record 44th title with a 276-204 victory over Chris Loschetter at the Great Lakes Classic in Wyoming, Mich. He?ll look to make it two in a row at this weekend?s Lumber Liquidators Championship at Country Club Lanes in Middle River.
This season, Williams has advanced to four finals, and won two titles. He is the PBA?s top-ranked bowler, has won nearly $4 million over a 27-year career and has averaged nearly 233 a game through seven events this season.
“As long as I feel like I?m competitive, I?m going to continue to bowl out there,” Williams said. “I?ve been lucky as I?ve stayed relatively healthy, especially after losing some weight a few years back. I?ve gotten a few breaks along the way, which is a big part of the sport of bowling. I?ve been lucky the early part of this season, but we?re only a third of the way through the season.”
To many of Williams? competitors, the Hall of Famer from Ocala, Fla., is to his sport what Arnold Palmer is to golf and Michael Jordan is to basketball.
“He?s simply the greatest bowler of all time,” said Dundalk native and fellow bowler Danny Wiseman. “I came on the tour full-time in 1990 so I?ve witnessed most of Walter Ray?s success and there is no one smarter on tour than him.”
Wiseman?s claim on Williams? intelligence is pretty accurate, considering he graduated from Cal-Poly Pomona in 1984 with a physics degree. He is also one of the world?smost unique two-sport athletes as he is a six-time world horseshoe pitching champion and a member of that sport?s Hall of Fame.
Bowler Sean Rash, 25, who won the Beltway Classic at Country Club Lanes last year, said Williams helped shape the sport to what it is today.
“Walter Ray came up wanting to emulate bowlers like Dick Weber and Early Anthony,” Rash said. “Guys like myself and Chris Loschetter grew up wanting to be Walter Ray Williams Jr. The path he made is unbelievable. It?s not hard to see why he is a hall of famer.”
