Del Ballard, Jr.

Delmas Perry Ballard Jr. (born July 1, 1963) is an American 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 North Richland Hills, Texas. He is also the brother-in-law of another top female bowler, Cathy Dorin-Lizzi.

In recent years, Ballard has appeared laneside in several televised PBA matches, as a ball representative and coach for Storm Bowling.

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. He made 35 top-5 finishes while making it all the way to the final match 17 times, compiling an impressive 13–4 record in those matches.

No longer an active bowler on the standard PBA Tour, Ballard continues to work on tour as a ball rep/coach for Storm. He managed the Motown Muscle PBA League team for several years, while wife Carolyn managed the NYC Kingpins.

PBA Tour titles Major championships in bold text. Ballard recovered from this loss a few weeks later, defeating Jim Johnson Jr. to win the Long Island Open.

Ballard said the gutter ball incident changed him forever, and not in the way many would think: "The next week was in New Jersey. As soon as I checked in, I received a phone call in my room. It was a male who asked if I was Del Ballard. I said 'yes'. The next comment...he says, 'you threw the ball in the gutter against Pete and it cost me, and now I’m going to get you.' I immediately hung up and called the front desk. I know I joke around a lot and expected some razzing from the guys, but they said this same person had called the hotel numerous times during the day from an outside number. I immediately checked out and changed hotels. I was a changed man from that day forward. I knew then the impact of what you do on the grand stage." Wanting to turn a negative into a positive, he and wife Carolyn, along with a few friends, got together after one of his treatments and organized the "Ballard vs. The Big C" bowling tournament. By 2017, the tournament had raised over $300,000, which was donated to Cancer Care Services, Baylor Health Care and the North Texas Laryngectomy Society. Ballard was recognized by the PBA for his efforts, being presented with the PBA Tony Reyes Community Service Award for the 2017 season.

Notable accomplishments Won 13 PBA titles, including four majors Ballard was a PBA World Championship short of completing 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.) Became the 11th bowler in PBA History to surpass $1 million in career earnings in 1994. Won the first six-figure first place prize in PBA History ($100,000 at the 1987 U.S. Open). Was ranked #29 on the PBA's 2008 list of "50 Greatest Players of the Last 50 Years." Inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame on January 24, 2009. Inducted into the USBC Hall of Fame on July 1, 2011.