USBC Hall of Famer Don McCune dies at age 89
March 03, 2026
ARLINGTON, Texas – Don McCune of Munster, Indiana, a member of the United States Bowling Congress Hall of Fame, died Feb. 28, 2026. He was 89.
McCune was born Oct. 9, 1936, in Morrison, Illinois. He was a proud United States Army veteran, and it was while in the Army that he started taking the sport of bowling seriously by participating in all-Army leagues. He developed that passion into one of the most memorable careers the sport has seen.
McCune, a two-time champion at the USBC Open Championships and an eight-time titlist on the Professional Bowlers Association Tour, was elected to the USBC Hall of Fame in the Veterans category in 2013. He had previously been inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame in 1991, also in the Veterans category.
McCune put together an impressive run at the Open Championships between 1968 and 1974 with 10 top-10 finishes that included winning a pair of Eagles.
He was part of the Bowl-Rite Supply team from Joliet, Illinois, that took home the Classic Team title in 1968 in Cincinnati. He then won Eagles in back-to-back years as he and fellow USBC and PBA Hall of Famer Jim Stefanich took home the Classic Doubles title at the 1969 event in Madison, Wisconsin. McCune shot 734, and Stefanich added 621 for a winning total of 1,355.
McCune became a PBA member in 1963 and collected the first of his eight PBA Tour wins in 1968 when he captured the Fort Worth Open. His second tour win came in 1970 at the Houston-Sertoma Open.
But his most memorable year on tour came in 1973. It was during that season that McCune was credited with changing the face of bowling ball technology forever. In order to combat the hardened lane surfaces of the early 1970s, McCune thought outside the box and soaked his balls in a chemical solvent that made the ball’s cover softer, allowing the ball to “grip” the lane better and his balls to hook when others would not. All of it was perfectly legal at the time. That year would become known as the “Year of the Soaker” with McCune winning six PBA titles and going on to collect PBA Player of the Year honors.
While a slew of rule changes later that year would render soaking illegal, McCune’s ingenuity revolutionized the sport and commenced the arms race among bowling ball manufacturers as they searched for ways to create bowling balls that mimicked what McCune’s “soaker ball” had started. That quest continues to this day.
In addition to his hall of fame status and numerous accolades in the sport, McCune also is known for being the patriarch of an impressive bowling family. Don’s son Eugene is a three-time PBA Tour champion, and Eugene’s son Kevin won his first PBA Tour title at the 2023 PBA Players Championship. That win made the McCune family the first with three generations of PBA Tour champions. Additionally, Don’s daughter Kris bowled professionally on the Ladies Pro Bowlers Tour (now the Professional Women’s Bowling Association), making the TV finals at the 1994 Hammer Eastern Open.
Don McCune’s legacy, both on and off the lanes, is certainly secure for years to come.
Celebration of life plans for McCune will be announced by the family at a later date.
For more information on the USBC Hall of Fame, click here.
McCune was born Oct. 9, 1936, in Morrison, Illinois. He was a proud United States Army veteran, and it was while in the Army that he started taking the sport of bowling seriously by participating in all-Army leagues. He developed that passion into one of the most memorable careers the sport has seen.
McCune, a two-time champion at the USBC Open Championships and an eight-time titlist on the Professional Bowlers Association Tour, was elected to the USBC Hall of Fame in the Veterans category in 2013. He had previously been inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame in 1991, also in the Veterans category.
McCune put together an impressive run at the Open Championships between 1968 and 1974 with 10 top-10 finishes that included winning a pair of Eagles.
He was part of the Bowl-Rite Supply team from Joliet, Illinois, that took home the Classic Team title in 1968 in Cincinnati. He then won Eagles in back-to-back years as he and fellow USBC and PBA Hall of Famer Jim Stefanich took home the Classic Doubles title at the 1969 event in Madison, Wisconsin. McCune shot 734, and Stefanich added 621 for a winning total of 1,355.
McCune became a PBA member in 1963 and collected the first of his eight PBA Tour wins in 1968 when he captured the Fort Worth Open. His second tour win came in 1970 at the Houston-Sertoma Open.
But his most memorable year on tour came in 1973. It was during that season that McCune was credited with changing the face of bowling ball technology forever. In order to combat the hardened lane surfaces of the early 1970s, McCune thought outside the box and soaked his balls in a chemical solvent that made the ball’s cover softer, allowing the ball to “grip” the lane better and his balls to hook when others would not. All of it was perfectly legal at the time. That year would become known as the “Year of the Soaker” with McCune winning six PBA titles and going on to collect PBA Player of the Year honors.
While a slew of rule changes later that year would render soaking illegal, McCune’s ingenuity revolutionized the sport and commenced the arms race among bowling ball manufacturers as they searched for ways to create bowling balls that mimicked what McCune’s “soaker ball” had started. That quest continues to this day.
In addition to his hall of fame status and numerous accolades in the sport, McCune also is known for being the patriarch of an impressive bowling family. Don’s son Eugene is a three-time PBA Tour champion, and Eugene’s son Kevin won his first PBA Tour title at the 2023 PBA Players Championship. That win made the McCune family the first with three generations of PBA Tour champions. Additionally, Don’s daughter Kris bowled professionally on the Ladies Pro Bowlers Tour (now the Professional Women’s Bowling Association), making the TV finals at the 1994 Hammer Eastern Open.
Don McCune’s legacy, both on and off the lanes, is certainly secure for years to come.
Celebration of life plans for McCune will be announced by the family at a later date.
For more information on the USBC Hall of Fame, click here.