Butch Soper

Butch Soper, of Lake Havasu City, Arizona, is a retired professional ten-pin bowler and a member of the Professional Bowlers Association who bowled on the PBA Tour for 29 years. He won six titles, including a major and a mixed doubles win, with 11 runner-up finishes and another 15 appearances in the top five. After joining the tour in 1972 he waited until the 1978 Fair Lanes Open for his first win, beating George Pappas 199-184 as the top seed. On July 12, 1994, at the Hilton Hotels Classic in Reno, he rolled a perfect 300 game against Bob Benoit, the eighth perfect game aired on live television. His only major and last tour win was the 1996 PBA National Championship, where he beat Justin Hromek 216-214 in the semifinal and Walter Ray Williams Jr. 226-210 in the title match. He also won the 2000 PBA Seattle Senior Open on the PBA Senior Tour and is a member of the Orange County USBC Hall of Fame.