Norm Duke

Norm Duke (http://www.pbatour.com/Bowlers/Bowler/8678)

My hero is Norm Duke. He is professional bowler on the PBA Tour. Norm is a short guy, coming in at 5-feet-5. He currently lives in Clermont, Florida and his hometown is Mount Pleasant, Texas. His hobbies include golf, fishing and billiards.

Norm on his approach. (http://bowling.about.com/od/protoursbowlers/p/NormDuke.htm)

Norm has been one of the top bowlers since 1991 and is still currently on the PBA Tour. Throughout his career, he has bowled 58 perfect 300 games, including having the 15th televised 300 game. Since turning pro, Norm has earned over $2.8 million from the PBA Tour prize money. Since 1990 he has made multiple televised Finals. During televised events, the crowd would yell “Duke” during the duration of his shot. To the unknown observer, it would appear that they were “booing.”

Norm Duke was the youngest person to ever to win a PBA Tour event in 1983, at the age of 18 years and 345 days. In 1994 and 2000, he was the winner of the PBA Player of the Year. He bowled three consecutive perfect games in the qualifying rounds for a tournament held in North Brunswick, NJ in April of 1996. In 2002 he became a member of the USBC Hall of Fame, and was inducted into the PBA hall of fame in 2009. Norm Duke’s 228.47 average in the 2006-07 season broke the record for highest average record. Duke has won 33 PBA Tour titles and has been the most recent bowler to win the “Grand Slam” by winning the UBSC Masters, PBA World Championship, PBA Tournament of Champions and the US Open.

Another shot of his approach. (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Norm-Duke-Fan-Page/110516348970414?ref=ts)

In July of 2001, my mom and I won the Montana State Family Qualifier and got to proceed to the Quibica International Family Qualifier in Grape Vine, Texas where I personally met Norm. He entertained us with three other pros, Brian Boss, Bob Learn Jr. and Dick Weber. At the banquet he made us laugh by acting like a waiter by pouring coffee for everyone there and cracking jokes as he was going along. While we were there, the pros were doing trick shots for a show on Nickelodeon and I participated on one of the trick shots. Norm is famous for slinging a bowling ball wrapped in a towel and being able to consistently throw strikes. He ended up winning the PBA’s Trick Shot Challenge in September 2009. I like Norm because he’s able to get people to laugh in the competitive side of this sport.

Norm is one of the outstanding bowlers in the PBA Tour, most famous for his trick shots. He is a very funny man and will bring comedy into the competition. I’ve had the opportunity to meet my hero and I admire him even more.