Walter Ray Williams Jr.

Walter Ray Williams Jr. (born October 6, 1959) is an American professional bowler and competitive horseshoes pitcher.

He currently holds the record for all-time standard PBA Tour career titles (47), and total PBA earnings (over $5 million through 2022).

Williams is a seven-time PBA Player of the Year (1986, '93, '96, '97, '98, 2003, 2010) which is tied with Jason Belmonte and one more than Earl Anthony for the most Player of the Year awards.

He has won a record eight Bowling Writers Bowler of the Year awards and is also the all-time leading money winner on the PBA Tour.

He has the most PBA money titles (seven).

He is a seven-time PBA Player of the Year (tied with Jason Belmonte for the most all-time), and won at least one PBA Tour title in a record 17 consecutive seasons (1993 through 2009–10).

He starred in the ten-pin bowling sports documentary A League of Ordinary Gentlemen.

As of June 26, 2022, Williams is also the all-time title leader on the PBA50 Tour, with 16.

He is a three-time PBA50 Player of the Year, and has won three majors on that Tour.

He was the first bowler in history to surpass $2 million in career earnings, achieving this in 1997.

Williams also set a record for the highest monetary winnings in a single season, with $419,700 during the 2002–03 PBA season.

This record would be broken in the 2021 season by Kyle Troup.

With his win in the 2003 U.S. Open, he also became the first $3 million career winner, while also becoming the first $4 million career winner in 2008.

On September 24, 2006, Williams eclipsed Earl Anthony's then-recognized career record of 41 PBA regular tour titles with his 42nd win at the Dydo Japan Cup over Pete Weber in a 289–236 single game pinfall.

Only Norm Duke's 2006–07 mark of 228.47 was higher at the time, though that has since been broken by Jason Belmonte's 228.81 in the 2012–13 season.

In the 2007–08 season, at age 48, Williams established the second-highest average in PBA history for a single season — 228.34.

[Note: Anthony's title count was amended to 43 in 2008, when the PBA chose to include ABC Masters titles earned by a PBA member as PBA Tour titles.

By that time, Williams had accumulated 44 titles to maintain a lead over Anthony.] Williams has been known as "Deadeye" in PBA fan circles, but he actually first got the nickname in horseshoes, when he threw 45 ringers out of a possible 50 in a junior tournament when he was 10 years old.

Williams is known for several PBA achievements:

In August 2008, Williams joined Team USA to participate in that year's FIQ World Men's Championships in Thailand.

For the first time, professionals were allowed to compete in this international event with over 330 participants from 56 countries.

Williams was the most successful bowler in the championships, winning four medals: Gold in Masters, Gold in Singles, Gold in Team and a Bronze medal in Trios.

On March 17, 2021, Williams announced his retirement from the national PBA Tour after being eliminated from the Round of 8 in the final event of World Series of Bowling XII.

He stated he will continue to bowl in PBA50 Tour and PBA Regional Tour events.

Upon winning the 2009 Motor City Open championship, Williams extended his record of winning at least one PBA Tour title per season to 17 consecutive seasons, two years more than Earl Anthony's 1970–84 run.

Williams' streak ended when he failed to win a title in the 2010–11 season.

After turning 50, Williams announced that he would participate in the 2010 PBA Senior Tour (renamed the PBA50 Tour in 2013), but in limited events due to Team USA and other obligations.

Williams made his PBA Senior Tour debut on May 3, 2010, at the Miller High Life Senior Classic in Mooresville, NC.

To the surprise of no one, he won the tournament three days later.

On June 18, 2010, Williams had a chance to become just the second bowler to win the USBC Masters and USBC Senior Masters in a career (joining Dave Soutar), and the first to win both in the same year.

Williams made the three-game final, but he was denied the title when he fell, 705-628, to fellow PBA Hall of Famer Wayne Webb.

On December 18, 2016, Williams became the first player in history to reach 100 total PBA titles (combined PBA Tour, PBA Regional Tour, PBA50 Tour, PBA50 Regional Tour).

Only one player, Pete Weber, has matched this feat.

Williams' total is now at 126 (with PBA60 Tour wins added) following his first PBA60 Tour win on July 5, 2023.

Williams retired from the regular PBA Tour in 2021, but continues to bowl in PBA50 Tour, PBA60 Tour and PBA Regional Tour events.

He owns the most combined Regional titles all-time with 62 (35 on the PBA Regional Tour and 27 on the PBA50 Regional Tour).

Williams is also a nine-time world champion in the game of horseshoes (three junior titles and six men's titles).

Wiliiams has had multiple sponsorships over his professional career, and is currently a member of the Brunswick pro staff.

He has rolled 110 career perfect 300 games in PBA competition through 2019.

Through the 2019 PBA50 season, he has bowled 110 career 300 games in PBA competition, second only to the 114 perfect games tallied by Parker Bohn III.