Don McCune

Donald Eugene McCune (October 9, 1936 – February 28, 2026) was an American right-handed ten-pin bowler most known for his years in the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA). McCune won eight PBA Tour titles in his career. Six of his eight titles came in the 1973 season, during which he was credited with unwittingly initiating a major change in the sport of bowling. He was a member of the PBA and USBC Halls of Fame.

Early life Donald Eugene McCune was born in Morrison, Illinois, on October 9, 1936. Growing up in Munster, Indiana, he was a member of the U.S. Army and began bowling seriously in all-Army leagues.

Professional career McCune became a PBA member 1963, and won his first PBA title at the 1968 Fort Worth Open. His second title was earned at the 1970 Houston-Sertoma Open.

By the early 1970s, bowling lane finishes had changed to a less flammable and more durable, but harder surface. Most bowling balls at the time were either hard rubber or hard plastic, rated at 80 or higher on a zero-to-100 hardness scale. Even the best professionals were struggling to get their bowling balls to hook on the lane. McCune once told Sports Illustrated, "I couldn’t even scratch the ball with a knife."

McCune consulted with a chemist to get a list of solvents that would chemically soften the ball. He tried one of the solvents (he wouldn't say what, but it was thought to be methyl ethyl ketone) McCune would win three more 1973 titles on his way to earning PBA Player of the Year honors. He made ten (of his career 30) championship round appearances in 1973, made the final match seven times (going 6–1 in those matches), and earned a Tour-high $69,000 (equal to about $460,000 in 2022).

The trend McCune had started was perfectly legal at the time, but soon led to new PBA and ABC (now USBC) rules related to altering a bowling ball surface. However, bowling ball manufacturers took note, and began producing softer surface equipment like the Columbia 300 yellow dot and Brunswick LT-48, which each checked in at 55 to 60 on the hardness scale.

Don's son, Eugene McCune, has won three titles on the PBA Tour, making them the third father-and-son combination to each win national PBA Tour titles, after Dick and Pete Weber and Don and Jimmy Johnson. This group has since been joined by Guppy and Kyle Troup. In addition, Eugene McCune's son Kevin (Don's grandson) won the 2023 PBA Players Championship. This made Eugene and Kevin the fifth father-and-son combination to each win national PBA Tour titles, while making Don McCune the patriarch of the first three-generation family of national PBA Tour titleholders.

Awards and recognition PBA Player of the Year (1973) Inducted into PBA Hall of Fame (Veterans Category), 1991 Inducted into USBC Hall of Fame (Performance Category), 2013