WALTER RAY WILLIAMS JR. MAY NOT ACTUALLY be the smartest man on the PBA Tour. He may not even be the only professional with a degree in Physics. But he is the only active player to have been named a Bowlers Journal All-American 12 times, and he's smart enough to know that's an impressive accomplishment.
The problem: Williams does not really show it. "Well, it means quite a bit to me," he says in that characteristic Deadeye deadpan. "To do it once [make the First Team] is very nice. And I've been fortunate enough to have done it several years."
Several years, indeed! In the history of the game, there's been only one other bowler to make the first team 12 times: the incomparable Earl Anthony. Williams likes the idea that he's posted an All-American record similar to the greatest bowler of all time, but he quickly qualifies it. "Well, the records aren't exactly similar. He did it in 14 years on Tour. I'm starting my 20th year on Tour."
What is undeniable is that these two examples of bowling greatness dominated the professional game during their heydays. Certainly Anthony was the man to beat for virtually all of his illustrious career, but there was that one seven-year span (1971-'77) in which he won 28 times --- and competed in 56 television finals. And while Williams's 23 titles during a six-year run (1993-'98) may be a tad less spectacular, his number of TV appearances (64 shows out of 168 events entered) was nothing short of outrageous.
There's one other big difference. Prior to his passing a year ago, Anthony was totally and irrevocably retired. Although still a proprietor, he was far more enamored with golf; he did | not even own any bowling balls. Williams, on the other hand, is still excited about the sport --- or at least the competition at the professional level --- and even hits a lot of regional events. "I just love to compete," he says.
Plus, there's the matter of the physics. "It's kind of hard to put your finger on it," he says. "I like the part that you can put rotation on a ball, and make it curve, and get those pins to dance around."
That last statement might raise a few eyebrows. After all, isn't Walter Ray Williams Jr. the quintessential straight-ball player? The guy who can only win off the corner? Actually, he's pretty decent playing deep, although he's not likely to scare the pants off a Robert Smith or a Rudy Revs. But fans who showed up for the night blocks in the old format were often surprised to see Deadeye rolling inside the fourth arrow and actually bringing the ball back --- and scoring.
Before his breakthrough year of 1986, when he was named Bowler of the Year for the first time, "You might not believe it, but I hooked the ball more than the average player." Williams loved to bowl at night, when he could move left, throw right and score big. And he needed to, just to recover the pins he was giving away in the morning block, where his hook was often erratic. He began working on a release that was more straight up behind the ball, and by playing the fresher oil outside, success quickly followed. Or at least it did after an attitude adjustment.
In 1985, he was good enough to reach match play regularly (13 times in 33 stops), but had only one show to his credit. "I sort of fell off when I got to match play," he said. "I saw it in some of the other guys, but not the name players. They were right there after 42 games, even if they hadn't qualified all that well." |
