Younger darts fans on both sides of the Atlantic may well be familiar with the name Danny Lauby (Jnr). The American has put himself at the forefront of darts in multiple codes and on both sides of the pond in recent years with his quick fire style and easy to like attitude. Danny may be next seen in Middlesborough this weekend where he is in contention to reach the ADC/Winmau Championship finals.
What may be less well know in that this Lauby apple didn’t fall far form the tree as those a little older may well remember. It seems that even that part of the story may have another chapter in it yet.
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In the closing days of August 2026, a familiar name reappeared on the Championship Darts Corporation score sheets in the USA. Dan Lauby Snr, the veteran known as “The Cujo,” stepped back onto the CDC Tour after a three-year absence and immediately made his mark with a 152 checkout — the highest finish of the Boomerang Tours Fiesta weekend in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois.
For those who have followed American darts over the past quarter-century, it was more than a personal comeback. It was a quiet full-circle moment for one of the sport’s most enduring family stories. Dan Lauby Snr was born in Terre Haute, Indiana, on 6 March 1960.
A right-hander who threw 25-gram Target darts and walked on to Van Halen’s “Jump,” he became one of the early American faces on the Professional Darts Corporation circuit at a time when the developing professional organisation needed such faces desperately.
Between 1999 and 2004 he appeared at four PDC World Championships, playing the last 32 on three occasions including a decent battle with the legendary Paul Lim in 2001, though never recording a victory at the Circus Tavern. He also contested the 1999 World Matchplay.
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Those performances placed him among a small group of United States players who helped keep the professional flame alive in North America during the PDC’s formative years.
His son, Danny Lauby Jr, born in the same Indiana town on 11 December 1992, absorbed the game from an early age. A left-hander and professional drum instructor away from the oche, the younger Lauby has repeatedly credited both his father and the CDC for shaping his path.
Junior’s own record on the CDC circuit is impressive. Multiple event titles, consistent high rankings, and the 2019 Continental Cup victory opened doors to the wider professional world. That Continental Cup success helped secure his first appearances at the PDC World Championship in 2021 and 2022, where he pushed higher-ranked opponents hard before falling in the last 96 on both occasions.
After several attempts at Q-School Lauby Jnr finally earned a PDC Tour Card in 2024. The two years that followed brought mixed results on the Pro Tour, yet also memorable moments — a run to the fifth round of the 2025 UK Open that included a deciding-leg win over Brendan Dolan, and a stunning 6–0 whitewash of former world champion Rob Cross at the US Darts Masters in Madison Square Garden.
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When the Tour Card slipped away at the end of 2025, Lauby Jr did not disappear. He has continued to compete on the PDC Challenge Tour, the MODUS Super Series (above), and in the English county system with Warwickshire, while becoming one of the most experienced and respected American voices in the game.
Keeping Darts A Family Affair
The timing of Dan Snr’s return therefore carries extra resonance. While the son has spent recent seasons based largely in the United Kingdom chasing the professional circuit, the father has stepped back onto the boards that first nurtured both careers. The CDC remains the backbone of serious steel-tip darts in North America — the tour that is developing talent, offering ranking pathways, and ultimately feeds players toward World Championship qualification and the PDC stage.
For the Laubys, the story has always been one of continuity and then sudden breakthroughs. A father who competed when American representation was rare, a son who took those foundations and tested himself against the world’s best, and now the veteran/s returning to the familiar environment that made it all possible. Now both can seek to drive their home tour forward together.
In Oakbrook Terrace the 66-year-old reminded everyone that the darts are still there. The 152 was only one leg, but it carried the weight of a family journey that continues to unfold across two continents and two generations. North American darts has grown noticeably in recent years, with deeper fields, stronger averages, and greater visibility. Indeed the American market is something of the holy grail for the PDC, promotors and manufacturers alike.
The Lauby name sits comfortably inside that progress — a reminder that the roots of the current scene stretch back through players who kept competing when the rewards were smaller and the pathway less clear.
Father and son, still connected by the same boards, still contributing to the same story. Perhaps Jnr may convince dad to join him at the ADC in future weekends, check out our dedicated ADC area for more…
Images: Tip Top Pics / PDC unless labelled
