&sq=Facebook&lang=en&file=File:Don_Carter_c1955.jpg) Don Carter, c. 1955 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Donald James Carter |
| Born | July 29, 1926 St. Louis, Missouri |
| Died | January 5, 2012 (aged 85) Miami, Florida |
| Years active | 1951-1972 |
| Bowling Information | |
| Affiliation | PBA, BPAA, ABC |
| Dominant hand | Right |
| Wins | |
| Sponsors | Ebonite |
Donald James Carter (July 29, 1926 – January 5, 2012)[1] was a right-handed American professional bowler. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, he learned the game while working a childhood job as a pinsetter,[2] and went on to become one of the legends of ten-pin bowling and a founding member of the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) in 1958.[3]
He was six-time bowler of the year, a 10-time All-American, and became known simply as "Mr. Bowling."[4] Carter and fellow St. Louis native Dick Weber are widely regarded as professional bowling's first superstars.[5] He was voted the Greatest Bowler of All-Time in a 1970 Bowling Magazine poll, and ranked #1 among 20th Century bowlers by Bowlers Journal in 1999. At the vanguard of celebrity endorsement, he capitalized on his fame during televised bowling's most popular period to become the first athlete of any kind to earn $1,000,000 in a single endorsement deal, for Ebonite International.[6][7]
- ^ Promotions, Carter. "Legendary Bowler Don Carter's Bio Page". doncarter.com. Archived from the original on June 19, 2018. Retrieved October 9, 2015.
- ^ "Today in History, July 29" at The Library of Congress website.
- ^ "Don Carter, USBC and PBA Hall of Famer, dies at age 85". bowl.com. January 6, 2012. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
- ^ First Annual National Championship article, pba.com; accessed June 4, 2017.
- ^ Paul, Cozby (March 3, 2016). "Dick Weber Was Bowling's Everyman Superstar And Greatest Ambassador". Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- ^ "For The Record". Sports Illustrated. January 16, 2012. Archived from the original on January 20, 2012. Retrieved January 19, 2012.
- ^ "Don Carter, bowling superstar, dies at 85". The Washington Post. January 7, 2012. Retrieved January 19, 2012.