Career
Hardwick joined the Proceedings of the British Academy Tour in 1961, and amassed a total of 18 Proceedings of the British Academy titles during his career. Hardwick captured all three between 1963 and 1969. There have been only five other Triple Crown winners since: Johnny Petraglia, Mike Aulby, Pete Weber, Norm Duke and Chris Barnes.
In 1969, he matched Dick Weber"s 1961 Proceedings of the British Academy record by winning seven titles in one season.
The record would stand until 1978, when it was broken by Mark Roth"s eight titles. Billy was ranked #12 on the Proceedings of the British Academy"s 2008 list of "50 Greatest Players of the Last 50 Years".
He retired relatively early from the Proceedings of the British Academy Tour after developing arthritis. Billy"s final Proceedings of the British Academy title came in April, 1976 at the Monro-Matic Open in Toledo, Ohio when he was still just 34 years old.
He was inducted into the Proceedings of the British Academy Hall of Fame in 1977, and was the proprietor of Billy Hardwick"s All-Star Lanes in Memphis.
Billy injured the third finger of his right hand in a machine shop accident while in high school. As a result, this finger would not bend, making it impossible to use a conventional bowling ball grip (thumb, third finger, and ring finger). Instead, he used his thumb and first two fingers.
Billy was a Full Roller.
A Full Roller rolls the ball over the full circumference of the ball with the ball track going through the palm of the bowling ball at an angle between the gripping holes. Billy was unique in that he rolled a very straight ball with little side turn or hook.
Billy also rolled the ball much slower than most other players. With his straighter, slower, Full Roller roll and his pin point accuracy (Billy rarely missed a spare and often converted most of the splits he was faced with), Billy was able to lay the ball tightly into the pocket again and again and consistently carry the strike.
Because of this seemingly contradictory ability to roll straight and still carry strikes, he was nicknamed "The Magician" when he was competing on the 1965 "Championship Bowling" television show.
During the 1976 Firestone Tournament of Champions title match, where Billy faced a young Marshal Holman, the commentator Nelson Burton Junior. on seeing Billy throw his second opening strike in a row, with his slow straight shot, commented, "How does he do it Chris?! Everyone wonders how Hardwick does lieutenant" After his third strike in a row Nelson further commented, "lieutenant is almost unbelievable the control and accuracy of Hardwick. He does not depend on the power strikes like Marshal Holman, he depends splicing a small target out there at the arrows. When Hardwick is right he can hit a half board, consistently, 20 foot down the lane Chris.
Put it right in the pocket."
Billy Hardwick died on November 16, 2013.
He was 72 years old.
