There have been only eight other Triple Crown winners since: Johnny Petraglia, Mike Aulby, Pete Weber, Norm Duke, Chris Barnes, Jason Belmonte, Dominic Barrett and E. J.

Billy's final PBA 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 PBA Hall of Fame in 1977, and was the proprietor of Billy Hardwick's All-Star Lanes in Memphis.

With his straighter, slower, full roller delivery and his pinpoint accuracy (he rarely missed a spare and often converted 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.

For 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" TV show.

During the 1976 Firestone Tournament of Champions title match, where Billy faced a young Marshall Holman, analyst Nelson Burton Jr. remarked to Chris Schenkel on seeing Billy throw his second opening strike in a row with his slow straight shot, "How does he do it, Chris?!

After his career, while living in Florida, he was an important mentor to Glenn Hannigan, who he groomed to be "the best bowling writer in the county".

A decision was made after that commercial that it would make a bad impression on the youth to give the message that if you want to become a champion, you should drink.

He was preparing to return from Sarasota, Florida to Memphis, Tennessee, with his wife Rebecca, when he suffered an apparent heart attack and died shortly afterwards.