Don Carter Biography - Early Interest In Bowling, Returned To St. Louis, Won Championships, Helped Found Pba - CONTACT INFORMATION
professional bowler mother six
1926-
American bowler
Known as Mr. Bowling, Don Carter was an early professional star in and tireless promoter of the sport of bowling. He was the first to make more than six figures in winnings. With his signature unconventional bowling style, Carter won more than forty individual, double, and team competitions. A founder of the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) in the mid-1950s, Carter led the PBA twice in earnings and was named bowler of the year six times. He was the only professional bowler to win the Hickok Belt as the professional athlete of the year, in 1962.
Born July 29, 1926, in St. Louis, Missouri, Carter was the son of Gladys Carter. His father abandoned him, his mother, and his brother when he was a baby, and he was raised by his mother. While still in school, he helped support his family by working as a golf caddy and a pinsetter at a bowling alley.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Address: c/o 9895 SW 86th St., Miami, FL 33176.
Additional Topics
Working at the bowling alley peaked Carter's interest in bowling. To become good at the sport, he built a lane in the basement of his home so he could practice. But bowling was not his only sport. At Wellston High School, he was a star athlete in baseball (four varsity letters) and football (three letters). When Carter graduated from high school in 1944, World War II was still being fought.…
After Carter ended his baseball career, he returned to his home town of St. Louis. He found employment at an industrial plant and also worked as the manager of a bowling center. Bowling soon became a focus of his life. Carter bowled in six leagues and was a coach for other players. By the early 1950s, Carter had become a successful professional bowler, one of the first to dominate the sport. One r…
In 1958, Carter was a charter member of the PBA and served as the organization's first president. It was organized by Carter and other professional bowlers who wanted the professional tour to have a structure in terms of tournaments, travel, and organization. They modeled it after the Professional Golf Association (PGA) tour. Carter was instrumental in making the PBA successful. It began sp…
Ten Secrets of Bowling, Viking Press, 1958.
After Carter retired in the early 1970s, he could no longer bowl because of his bad knees but did stay in the business side of bowling. He owned several alleys in St. Louis and other cities, and later founded, with partners, Don Carter Bowling Centers. Located in several states in the sun belt, there were fourteen centers by the mid-1990s. Though th…
After Carter retired in the early 1970s, he could no longer bowl because of his bad knees but did stay in the business side of bowling. He owned several alleys in St. Louis and other cities, and later founded, with partners, Don Carter Bowling Centers. Located in several states in the sun belt, there were fourteen centers by the mid-1990s. Though the company had problems in the late 1990s, it was …
Hickok, Ralph. A Who's Who of Sports Champions. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1995. The Lincoln Library of Sports Champions. 2001. Heroux Pounds, Marcia. "Sunrise, Fla., Bowling Firm Leader Pursues Younger Generation of Bowlers." Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News (October 18, 2002). Otterson, Chuck. "Carter Shows Fans He's Still Kingpin." Palm Beach …
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User Comments
about 2 years ago
I run the doncarter.com web site....you have his address wrong...9895 SW 96th Street...His Latest accomplishment was he was inducted into the St. Louis Sporst Hall of Fame....(this award is for all athletes, not just bowlers)...Marian Sperber...Don's Sister-in-law...