Women's sports pioneer Billie Jean King (pictured left), owner of the New York City WTT KingPins in the new Professional Bowlers Association League, thought it would only be appropriate for the PBA League's only woman owner to have a female presence on her team.

To make that happen, King completed a trade with Motown Muscle owner Jerome Bettis, acquiring PBA Tour champion Kelly Kulick (right) to her KingPins' roster in exchange for two-time PBA titlist Brad Angelo, PBA Commissioner Tom Clark announced Monday.

The PBA League makes it historic debut as part of the Detroit Winter Swing, a multi-event week of PBA competition, Jan. 19-27 at Thunderbowl Lanes in suburban Allen Park, Mich. King is well-acquainted with Kulick's status as an historic figure in professional bowling; she is the only woman ever to win a PBA Tour title and the only woman ever to win an "exemption" to bowl full-time on the PBA Tour during its exempt tour era.

So King requested the first trade in PBAL history to add the 2010 PBA Tournament of Champions winner to her KingPins' roster that includes franchise player Pete Weber, Tommy Jones, Scott Norton, Jack Jurek and John Szczerbinski.

"Getting Kelly Kulick on the KingPins is a big win for us," King said. "Kelly and I have connected through several Women's Sports Foundation events and we were so proud of her when she became the first woman to win a PBA Tour title. She is a strong competitor, a quality person and a great addition to our team."

Kulick will now fill the role as the KingPins' supplemental player while Angelo, the KingPins' original supplemental draft choice, will become the Muscle's supplemental player. As supplemental selections, Kulick and Angelo, who won the PBA Viper Championship during the recently-completed GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling IV, will be inserted into their respective team's PBA League lineups if one of the original top-five picks is unable to compete.

The Motown Muscle, which also obtained future draft considerations in the trade, features franchise player Mike Fagan, Tom Smallwood, Mike Scroggins, Ronnie Russell and Jesse Buss.

Qualifying rounds in the PBA League will be conducted Jan. 22-25, concurrently with qualifying in the Carmen Salvino, Mark Roth and Don Carter Classics, and the Earl Anthony PBA Players Championship, leading into a series of PBA League television events on Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 26-27, at Thunderbowl.

Included will be live ESPN coverage of PBA League Round 1 at noon ET on Sunday, Jan. 27. Additional PBA League rounds (along with Salvino, Roth, Carter and Anthony championship matches) will air on ESPN on Sundays (Feb. 10 and 17, and March 3 at 3 p.m. ET, and March 24 at 1 p.m. ET).

 

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PBA League Team Rosters

Dallas Strikers (owner Terrell Owens)
1, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla.
2, Rhino Page, Dade City, Fla.
3, Amleto Monacelli, Venezuela
4, Bryon Smith, Roseburg, Ore.
5, Mike Machuga, Erie, Pa.
Supplemental pick: Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind.

Philadelphia Hitmen (owner Kevin Hart)
1, Bill O'Neill, Langhorne, Pa.
2, Mika Koivuniemi, Finland
3, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio
4, Mike DeVaney, Hemet, Calif.
5, Dick Allen, Columbia, S.C.
Supplemental pick: Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas

Detroit Motown Muscle (owner Jerome Bettis)
1, Mike Fagan, Dallas
2, Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich.
3, Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas
4, Ronnie Russell, Marion, Ind.
5, Jesse Buss, Belvidere, Ill.
Supplemental pick: Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y.

Pittsburgh Jack Rabbits (owner LaMarr Woodley)
1, Osku Palermaa, Finland
2, Martin Larsen, Sweden
3, Dan MacLelland, Canada
4, Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla.
5, Thomas Larsen, Denmark
Supplemental pick: Anthony LaCaze, Melrose Park, Ill.

Los Angeles X (owner Chris Paul)
1, Jason Belmonte, Australia
2, Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas
3, Andres Gomez, Colombia
4, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J.
5, Dave Wodka, Henderson, Nev.
Supplemental pick: Ildemaro Ruiz, Venezuela

Silver Lake Atom Splitters (owner Chris Hardwick)
1, Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas
2, Dom Barrett, England
3, Josh Blanchard, Gilbert, Ariz.
4, Stuart Williams, England
5, Nathan Bohr, Wichita, Kan.
Supplemental pick: Jon VanHees, Charlestown, R.I.

New York City WTT KingPins (owner Billie Jean King)
1, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo.
2, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C.
3, Scott Norton, Costa Mesa, Calif.
4, Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y.
5, John Szczerbinski, N. Tonawanda, N.Y.
Supplemental pick: Kelly Kulick, Union, N.J.

Team name, owner to be announced
1, Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill.
2, Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y.
3, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y.
4, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla.
5, Jason Sterner, McDonough, Ga.
Supplemental pick: Tom Hess, Urbandale, Iowa