Texas Southern University’s Viola “Wild Card” King has controlled the lanes throughout her college bowling career.

King definitely knows about hard work and the results it brings.  Overcoming not having a farther figure during life was one of her toughest obstacles.  King managed to defeat this real life seventeen split by learning from her brothers on what to look for in a farther figure. 

King said, “It has overall made me stronger and more aware.” 

With this awareness the 21 year old Senior Accounting major made the 2005-2006 All-Tournament Third Team.  Her awareness goes above and beyond athletics.  She would like to meet the late Coretta Scott King (no relation).  King wanted to know how Mrs. King supported a man like Dr. King and what hardships she had to endure as an individual.

In King’s freshmen year at Texas Southern she had no idea that there was a bowling team.  She enrolled strictly to be an academic student with interest of walking on to the volleyball team. King was a victim of good grades.  The head coach for TSU’s bowling team Robert Powell, just happened to be an academic recruiter and saw that one of King’s extra curricular activities was bowling. 

King said, “He called and asked me to come to the school on scholarship. And if he needed help on the bowling team, would I help him out and that is how I got here.”

King has been a team captain for TSU’s Lady Bowling Team for back-to-back Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Championships.

King said, “We worked hard.  We were undefeated last year.  We ultimately won the SWAC.  This year there was more pressure on us because of the fact we won last year.  We had a rocky start because we didn’t go into the tournament undefeated.”

Having two losses under their belt was the cause for a Cinderella season.  The losses also made TSU a second seed team.  TSU had to win the first day to qualify for the semi-finals and win once more to make it to the championship.  In the championship they came away with a win against the Southern Jaguars.  The Lady Tigers closed out the season with a 5257 – 5110 victory.

King said, “As soon as we got to the championship round and I saw how they brought out the trophy, shirts and hats.  I said to myself we have worked too hard to go home empty handed.”