Don Carter died on January 5 and with him passed an era never to be matched or forgotten.
Carter’s long and productive life of 85 years leaves a legacy of changing not just the face of bowling but the heart and soul of bowling as a sport.
Carter was known by many nicknames, ranging from Bosco, his favorite drink, to the King of Bowling, because Carter was so often photographed with a crown of triumph. The most fitting was Mr. Bowling.
That says it all, and he did it all.
Carter first got into bowling when he turned 13 and among his gifts from Mom Carter was a free game of bowling. He liked it, became quickly involved. Mom’s home became the home of Don’s trophies and awards. Mom Carter created bit of bowling history when she took the backs of her son’s bowling shirts and created bowling quilt.
Much has been said and written about his bowling style, a low crouch to the foul line, what seemed like a shove or push of the ball at the delivery. In his early days he used large finger holes and that necessitated the pushy technique.
Why didn’t more bowlers copy his ways? Simple, as his fellow Hall of Famers Carmen Salvino and Nelson Burton Jr. pointed out, he was an exceptional athlete, always in top physical shape, a rugged six footer in the 200 pound area with exceptional, wrist, arm and shoulder strength and coordination.
He knew his game, and practiced his game, and was a true pro in every sense of the word.
He played minor league pro baseball after a stint in the Navy, batted more than 300 and pitched well, but the pay scale was minor and he seized every opportunity in bowling, culminating with a sponsorship by Budweiser when team bowling was a big attraction and every major city had classic leagues.
The Budweiser team listed Carter, Dick Weber, Ray Bluth, Tom Hennessey and Pat Patterson, generally considered the greatest team of all time, all future Hall of Famers. Whitey Harris, a dedicated bowler, helped guide the team, and the Budweiser team’s bus, a home away from home, was a high status sign for bowling, as were their spotless uniforms.
Over the years many top names graced the Bud lineup but the Carter name and feats led all the rest. The team won four straight national team titles and piled up the other championships available.
Carter amazed with his versatility. He won the All-Star, now U.S. Open four times, the World Invitational five times, every major individual title up for grabs, was a six-time Bowler of the Year.
Carter excelled in tournaments that tested mind and body for 100 games in less than a week. Yet, he gained as much fame and notice, and excellent prize checks on such featured bowling shows as Jackpot Bowling on NBC, which allowed bowlers nine balls, for strikes only, and ABC’s Make That Spare, a mere five shots at selected spares followed by a bonus spare conversion try.
In the late 1950s and early 1960s the inner battle in bowling was whether the newly formed Professional Bowlers Association or the ambitious National Bowling League would receive a major TV contract with rights money for each show that wouldn’t guarantee their survival, but almost assure their success.
Carter decided to go with the PBA and did not sign with any of the NBL teams that made him fabulous offers. His famous teammates and associates also declined bids. That decision of Carter is given credit for the PBA’s decades of success on TV and his help in so many ways to founder Eddie Elias.
Carter went into the bowling center business and he and his associates insisted on the best of modern facilities, pro shops, and anything necessary to enhance the appeal of bowling as a sport with many appeals Carter centers became the bowler’s country clubs whether you were a kid or a grandparent.
Carter, an astute observer of everything to do with bowling, from rules to equipment to promotions, lit up every room or bowling center he ever entered without ever attempting to be flashy or flamboyant.
To many he was the greatest bowler who ever performed. To all, he is a shining example of bowling history’s brightest all-around star.
