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Bulletin Board THE CARTER LEGACY


While Don Carter retired from bowling in 1972, his impact on the sport is not lost on today’s top bowlers.


Walter Ray Williams Jr.: Don Carter was one of the greatest players ever in our sport. I never got a chance to watch Don compete, but I did bowl with him in a Pro Am at one of his tournaments. One of the funnest experiences I had with Don was bowling in a doubles tournament with his wife, Paula. He was behind us cheering us on, so that was pretty cool. Mike Fagan: When I hear Don’s name I think about the founding fathers of the professional side of bowling. He helped create a name for himself that will live on forever in bowling. I did get to meet him once at the Cream of the Crop Tournament in Florida. I can’t say I knew him, but his name will always have my respect. Jason Belmonte: I’m not that familiar with the history of American bowling, but I talk to a lot of players and listen to all the old stories, and you gain a familiarity with the names. It’s almost like you knew them. Don was one of those guys. I’m always conscious of who has gone before me. I know he was one of the originals, a Hall of Famer who helped pave the way


NEWS, NOTES AND HAPPENINGS FROM THE WORLD OF BOWLING


Carter (second from right) bowled lead-off for the famed Budweisers.


Carter (with fi rst wife LaVerne) accumulatedplenty of hardware.


for all of us out here on tour. And I think that means a lot out here. Hearing what he did on and off the lanes is something bowlers should strive to be like. I don’t think I ever heard a bad story about him. I can’t say I really knew him, but I bowled in a few tournaments with his name on them and was lucky enough to shake his hand a few times.


Chris Barnes: Don was probably the fi rst superstar of the sport. All the pros know that he


11 USBOWLER FEBRUARY 2012


signed the fi rst $1 million contract. I always think of him, Dick Weber and Don Johnson as the pioneers who set in motion the things we get to bowl for now. Bill O’Neill: To me you think “legend.” He was done bowling when I grew up, so I never watched him, but I always knew who he was and what he accomplished. Kelly Kulick: The one word that comes to mind immediately is “legend.” When you talk about the greatest players of all time, he’s right up there. He took his success on the lanes and turned it a major business.


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