Delmas Perry "Del" Ballard Jr. (born July 1, 1963, Richardson, Texas) is a professional ten-pin bowler and member of the Professional Bowlers Association. He was a 2009 inductee into the PBA Hall of Fame, and a 2011 inductee into the USBC Hall of Fame. Ballard is the husband of top female bowler Carolyn Dorin-Ballard with whom he has one daughter. The Ballard family now resides in Keller, Texas. He is also the brother-in-law of another top female bowler, Cathy Dorin-Lizzi.
It was announced on PBA.com in August, 2010, that Ballard was battling tonsil cancer. He underwent chemotherapy and radiation treatments at Texas Oncology, an affiliate of Baylor University Medical Center, and prognosis for a full recovery was good. In recent years, Ballard has appeared laneside in several televised PBA matches, as a ball representative and coach for Storm Bowling.
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Bowling career
Ballard entered the PBA Tour in 1982 at the age of 19. He won two titles in 1987, including his first major at the U.S. Open Championship which earned him a then-record $100,000. In 1988, Ballard won his second major, the ABC Masters. (The Masters was not considered a PBA Tour event at the time, but is now recognized as a PBA title and a major). He went on to win two additional majors, the 1989 Firestone Tournament of Champions and the 1993 U.S. Open. In 1991, he had his most successful year on the tour, winning 4 titles. As of 2013, he has won 13 PBA Titles (all between 1987-1993) and has career total earnings of $1,130,857. He has cashed in 259 of 482 tournaments. In 31 TV appearances (the final stages of a Tour event) he has a 30-21 record, with a 216.29 average.
Ballard received an exemption for the 2006-07 PBA tour season, by finishing tenth in the Tour Trials. He was unable to retain the exemption the following year.
No longer an active bowler on the standard PBA Tour, Ballard continues to work on tour as a ball rep/coach for Storm.
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Alcoholism
In 1989, Ballard admitted to an alcohol addiction that made him unable to perform to his potential in the early stages of his career. This was received poorly by many of his colleagues on the tour. He was criticized for his admission by many. Several bowlers, however, did support him and his decision to come forward with the admission.
The "Ballard Gutter-Ball" Incident
On March 2, 1991, Ballard was on the receiving end of one of the most bizarre and infamous incidents in PBA history. In the championship match at the Fair Lanes Open nationally-televised tournament in Baltimore, Ballard faced Pete Weber for the title. Weber finished with three strikes in the 10th frame to force Ballard to strike twice and get seven pins for the win. Ballard struck twice, then on his final shot he proceeded to throw the ball into the right gutter, thus handing Pete Weber the title. A few weeks later, Ballard would rebound by winning the Long Island Open, defeating Jim Johnson Jr.
Notable facts
- 13 PBA titles, including four majors
- Ballard needs only a PBA World championship title to complete both a Triple Crown and Grand Slam. (The Triple Crown for PBA Bowlers is The U.S. Open, PBA World Championship and Tournament of Champions. To complete the Grand Slam, a bowler must also win the USBC Masters.)
- Ballard became the 11th bowler in PBA History to surpass $1 million in career earnings in 1994.
- Ballard won the first six-figure first place prize in PBA History ($100,000 at the 1987 U.S. Open).
- Ballard was ranked #29 on the PBA's 2008 list of "50 Greatest Players of the Last 50 Years."
- Ballard was inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame on January 24, 2009.
- Ballard was inducted into the USBC Hall of Fame on July 1, 2011.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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