Butch Soper

{{short description|American professional ten-pin bowler}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}

{{Infobox professional bowler

|name=Butch Soper

|birth_date={{Birth date and age|1949|06|17|mf=yes}}

|birth_place=Newport Beach, Califiornia, U.S.

|alma_mater=

|height = 5 ft 6 in

|years_active=1972–2001

|rookieyear=

|affiliation=PBA

|championships=6 PBA Tour (1 major)
1 PBA Senior Tour

|nickname=

|300games=19

|hand=Right (stroker delivery)

|sponsors=

|website=

}}

Butch Soper of Lake Havasu City, Arizona is a retired professional 10-pin bowler and member of the Professional Bowlers Association, who bowled on the PBA Tour. During his 29 years on tour, Butch won 6 titles (including a major and a mixed doubles win), 11 runner-up finishes, and another 15 appearances in the top-5.{{cite web |title=Butch Soper (career stats) |url=http://mcubed.net/bowling/zzbutchsoper.shtml |website=mcubed.net |accessdate=April 19, 2025}}{{cite web |title=Villager reunites with bowling teammates 40 years after memorable victory |url=https://www.villages-news.com/2019/05/24/villager-reunites-with-bowling-teammates-40-years-after-memorable-victory |website=villages-news.com |date=24 May 2019}}

After joining the PBA Tour in 1972, it took Soper 6 years to capture his first tournament win at the 1978 Fair Lanes Open. As the Open's top seed going into the finals, Butch defeated George Pappas in the title match 199-184.{{cite web |title=Fair Lanes Open Championship Round History |url=http://www.ncausbca.org/bowlmag/archives/fair_lanes_open_history--198704.pdf |website=ncausbca.org |publisher=Bowl Magazine |access-date=19 April 2025 |date=1987}}

On July 12, 1994, at the Hilton Hotels Classic in Reno, Nevada, Soper rolled a perfect 300 game against Bob Benoit. It was the 8th perfect game aired on live television and the first time a televised 300 was bowled to beat another player who had previously bowled a 300 on TV as Benoit did so at the 1988 PBA Quaker State Open.{{cite web |title=PBA Televised 300 Game #8: Butch Soper |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQZXCmSlMnE |website=youtube.com | date=September 5, 2018 |publisher=Professional Bowlers Association |access-date=19 April 2025}}

Butch's lone major and last victory of his PBA Tour career, was at the 1996 PBA National Championship. Qualifying for the final rounds as the #2 seed, Soper won his semifinal match with a 216–214 victory over Justin Hromek and then triumphed over Walter Ray Williams, Jr. 226–210 in the title match.{{cite web |title=SOPER WINS PBA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP |url=https://buffalonews.com/article_365964a9-0c86-545e-a188-8cafd8f95ca0.html |website=buffalonews.com |publisher=The Buffalo News |date=9 Jun 1996}}

On the PBA Senior Tour, Soper snagged one title at the 2000 PBA Seattle Senior Open, defeating Norb Wentzel 222-210 in the championship match.{{cite web |title=LOCAL BOWLERS FARING WELL AT TOURNAMENTS |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2000/07/09/local-bowlers-faring-well-at-tournaments-2/ |publisher=Orlando Sentinel |date=9 Jul 2000}}{{cite web |title=All Time PBA50/Senior Tour Titles |url=https://www.pba.com/pba-tour/pba50-tour/all-time-tour-titles |website=pba.com |publisher=Professional Bowlers Association |access-date=28 May 2025}}

Soper is a member of the Orange County USBC Hall of Fame.{{cite web |title=OCUSBC Hall of Fame |url=https://ocusbc.org/hall-of-fame/ |website=ocusbc.org |date=October 31, 2012 |publisher=Orange County United States Bowling Congress |access-date=19 April 2025}}