Hall of Fame professional bowler. Though his career was relatively short, he captured 18 Professional Bowler's Association (PBA) tournaments and is remembered as the first to win the sport's "triple crown". Born William Bruce Hardwick, he was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and took-up bowling because he wanted to find a sport at which he could beat his friends at Hillsdale High School. After turning professional in 1962, he won four titles and took Player of the Year honors in 1963. Also in 1963, he completed the first leg of the Triple Crown by capturing the PBA National Championship, later finishing the trifecta with the Tournament of Champions in 1965 and the US Open in 1969. Hardwick tied what was then the record by winning seven titles in 1969 and also received his second Player of the Year award. When the PBA changed the way in which lanes were oiled and maintained, he lost some of his style-related competitive advantages while his skills were further eroded by arthritis. He retired in 1976, winning one title in his final campaign. Billy never bowled again and was elected to the PBA Hall-of-Fame in 1977. In later years he divided his time between Tennessee and Florida's Gulf Coast, ran a Memphis bowling alley, and was a frequent guest on television talk shows hosted by his son Chris. He was named #12 on a 2008 list of the 50 greatest bowlers. At the time of Hardwick's death from a heart attack at age 72 in 2013, he remained one of six men to win bowling's Triple Crown.
Hall of Fame professional bowler. Though his career was relatively short, he captured 18 Professional Bowler's Association (PBA) tournaments and is remembered as the first to win the sport's "triple crown". Born William Bruce Hardwick, he was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and took-up bowling because he wanted to find a sport at which he could beat his friends at Hillsdale High School. After turning professional in 1962, he won four titles and took Player of the Year honors in 1963. Also in 1963, he completed the first leg of the Triple Crown by capturing the PBA National Championship, later finishing the trifecta with the Tournament of Champions in 1965 and the US Open in 1969. Hardwick tied what was then the record by winning seven titles in 1969 and also received his second Player of the Year award. When the PBA changed the way in which lanes were oiled and maintained, he lost some of his style-related competitive advantages while his skills were further eroded by arthritis. He retired in 1976, winning one title in his final campaign. Billy never bowled again and was elected to the PBA Hall-of-Fame in 1977. In later years he divided his time between Tennessee and Florida's Gulf Coast, ran a Memphis bowling alley, and was a frequent guest on television talk shows hosted by his son Chris. He was named #12 on a 2008 list of the 50 greatest bowlers. At the time of Hardwick's death from a heart attack at age 72 in 2013, he remained one of six men to win bowling's Triple Crown.
Bio by: Bob Hufford
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