A child prodigy at horseshoe pitching, Walter Ray Williams Jr. took up bowling as a teenager and turned professional in his early 20s. He had a breakthrough year in 1986, winning three national titles and was named the Professional Bowlers Association's Bowler of the Year. After several moderately successful years, he began a decade of dominance starting in 1993 that catapulted him to being arguably the greatest bowler of all time.