Norm Duke (born March 25, 1964) is an American professional bowler currently competing on the

Professional Bowlers Association The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) is the major sanctioning body for the sport of professional ten-pin bowling in the United States. Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the PBA membership consists of over 3,000 members worldwide. Member ...

(PBA) Tour and the PBA50 Tour. He has won 40 titles on the

PBA Tour The PBA Tour is the major professional tour for ten-pin bowling, operated by the Professional Bowlers Association. Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, over 3,000 members worldwide make up the PBA. While most of the PBA members are Regional profess ...

, including seven major championships, and another six titles (two of them majors) on the PBA50 Tour. A member of both the PBA and USBC Halls of Fame, Duke is one of only three players in history to reach 40 career PBA Tour titles. He has bowled 73 perfect 300 games in PBA competition, including the 16th televised 300 game in PBA Tour history on January 5, 2003. Duke is a member of the

Storm A storm is any disturbed state of the natural environment or the atmosphere An atmosphere () is a layer of gas or layers of gases that envelop a planet, and is held in place by the gravity of the planetary body. A planet retains an atmos ...

pro staff. A native of

Mount Pleasant, Texas Mount Pleasant is the county seat of and largest city in Titus County, in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, Mount Pleasant's population was 16,047; it is situated in Northeast Texas. History Mount Pleasant was founded May 11, 184 ...

, Duke resides in

Clermont, Florida Clermont is a city in Lake County in central Florida, United States, about west of Orlando and southeast of Leesburg. The population was 43,021 in 2020. The city is residential in character and its economy is centered in retail trade, lodging, ...

, with his wife Karen. The two have a son named Branden.

PBA Tour

In 1983, not even one year after becoming a professional, Duke won the Cleveland Open in

North Olmsted, Ohio North Olmsted is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 32,442. North Olmsted is a west side suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, and is the 8th most populated city within Cuyahoga County. History ...

, and became the youngest player ever to win a PBA Tour title, at 18 years and 345 days. On that day, Duke started from the No. 5 seed and worked his way up the stepladder, defeating the other four bowlers to take the championship, including a victory over the legendary

Earl Anthony Earl Roderick Anthony (April 27, 1938 – August 14, 2001) was an American professional bowler who amassed records of 43 titles and six Player of the Year awards on the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour. For over two decades, his care ...

in Duke's first-ever televised match. Duke would not win his second title until

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...

, but his career took off from there. He won two titles in the

1993 season File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...

, including his first major at the

ABC Masters The USBC Masters is a championship ten-pin bowling event conducted by the United States Bowling Congress. The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) began recognizing it as a title event in 1998, and it was designated one of the four majors in 2000 ...

(now known as the USBC Masters). Norm completed perhaps his best season in

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...

, winning five titles including his second career major, at the Tournament of Champions, and also winning PBA Player of the Year honors. He was also the winner of the PBA Player of the Year award in

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

, capturing three titles that year, including his third career major by winning the

PBA World Championship The PBA World Championship is one of five major PBA (Professional Bowlers Association) bowling events. It is one of three PBA Tour major events that are open only to PBA members. (The U.S. Open and USBC Masters allow qualifying amateurs to enter.) ...

. Duke became a member of the USBC Hall of Fame in 2002, and was inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame in January 2009. Duke currently owns 40 PBA Tour titles, including seven majors: one

, one

PBA Tournament of Champions The PBA Tournament of Champions is one of the five major PBA (Professional Bowlers Association) Ten-pin bowling, bowling events. It is an invitational event and the only PBA Tour major that does not have any open field. All participants must meet qu ...

, two United States Opens, and three

s. By virtue of having won each of these four majors, Duke is one of only three bowlers in Tour history to complete the career Grand Slam, along with fellow Hall-of-Famer

Mike Aulby Mike Aulby (born March 25, 1960, in Indianapolis, Indiana) is a left-handed bowler and former member of the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA). He is one of only five PBA bowlers to win both a Rookie and Player of the Year award. ( Tommy Jones ...

and all-time major titles record holder

Jason Belmonte Jason Belmonte (born 29 July 1983) is an Australian professional ten-pin bowler. He plays on the PBA Tour in the United States and in world events. He is known for being one of the first bowlers to gain media attention for using the two hand ...

. His 38th title on February 15, 2015 put him in sole possession of third-place on the PBA's all-time titles list. Duke's career PBA Tour earnings eclipsed $3 million in the 2011-12 season, making him just the third PBA bowler at the time (along with Walter Ray Williams Jr. and Pete Weber) to surpass the $3 million mark in career prize money.

Parker Bohn III Parker Morse Bohn III (born July 13, 1963) is a left-handed American professional bowler. He has been a member of the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) since 1984, and is a member of the PBA and USBC Halls of Fame. Bohn is one of only eigh ...

has since also joined the $3 million club. Duke's career earnings have now topped $3.8 million (as of 2022). Duke made multiple TV Finals appearances every season from 1990 through 2015. (He made only one TV finals appearance in 2016.) He has won at least two titles in a season nine times, including a career-best five titles in 1994. The diminutive Duke (he stands 1.65 meters, or 5-foot-5) is known for his exceptional versatility. He is generally thought of as a stroker, either throwing the ball relatively straight or playing a hook shot from the extreme outside of the lane. But he has also shown the ability (especially earlier in his career) to swing the ball out toward the gutter and bring it back like a cranker when necessary. This gives him the advantage of being able to score well on most of the PBA's multiple oil patterns.

2007–08 season

The 2007-08 season started slowly for Duke, as he battled illness on top of a series of injuries through the first half. Standing 51st in points and with his Tour exemption in jeopardy, he put together a furious finish by winning two majors in the final five weeks of the season. On February 24, 2008, he won his second career PBA World Championship to lock up a 2008-09 exemption. Then on March 30, he won the U.S. Open and joined

and

Billy Hardwick William Bruce Hardwick (July 25, 1941 – November 16, 2013) was a right-handed ten-pin bowler and member of the Professional Bowlers Association. PBA career Hardwick joined the PBA Tour in 1961, and amassed a total of 18 PBA titles during his ...

as the only bowlers to ever complete the coveted PBA "Grand Slam," in which a PBA bowler wins the U.S. Open, World Championship, Tournament of Champions, and USBC Masters at least once in a career. He is also one of only eight bowlers in history to complete the PBA career Triple Crown, in which a player wins the PBA's "original" three majors (U.S. Open, Tournament of Champions, and World Championship).

2008–09 season

Duke began the 2008-09 season by, again, winning the PBA World Championship. Continuing on his success from the previous season's sweep of the final two majors, he accomplished something never before done by any professional bowler: win three consecutive major tournaments. The streak ended when he failed to make the TV finals for the 2009 Tournament of Champions. On April 5, 2009, Duke narrowly missed an opportunity to become just the fifth bowler to repeat as champion at the U.S. Open. He qualified as the #1 seed, but was upset in the final by

Mike Scroggins Mike Scroggins (born March 12, 1964) is a left-handed professional ten-pin bowler and member of the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA), having joined in 1989. He resides in Amarillo, TX.Profile at www.pba.co/ref> He has won eight PBA Tour t ...

, 191–173. Duke eventually did win a second U.S. Open on February 27, 2011.

Later career

Duke's 37th title on the PBA Tour came in 2012 at the

Dick Weber Richard Anthony Weber (December 23, 1929 – February 14, 2005) was a ten-pin bowling professional and a founding member of the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA). Along with Don Carter, Weber is widely regarded as professional bowling's fi ...

PBA Playoffs. He joined the PBA50 Tour (formerly PBA Senior Tour) in 2014, while continuing to compete in selected events on the standard PBA Tour. His 38th title on the standard PBA Tour came in the 2015

Mark Roth Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Finn ...

Marshall Holman Marshall Holman (born September 29, 1954) is an American sports broadcaster and retired professional ten-pin bowler. He was known for his flamboyant, fiery demeanor and his success on the PBA Tour from the mid-1970s to the end of the 1980s. He i ...

PBA Doubles Championship, where he partnered with

Wes Malott Wes or WES may refer to: * Westmorland, county in England, Chapman code __NOTOC__ People and fictional characters * Wes (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Wes Madiko (1964–2021), Cameroonian musici ...

for the win. He captured his 39th PBA title on February 24, 2019 at the PBA Indianapolis Open, defeating

in the title match. A month shy of his 55th birthday, Duke became the third oldest player to win a standard PBA Tour event, behind

John Handegard John Handegard (born May 18, 1938) is a retired professional ten-pin bowler who has spent time on both the PBA Tour The PBA Tour is the major professional tour for ten-pin bowling, operated by the Professional Bowlers Association. Headquartered i ...

(57) and

Buzz Fazio Basil "Buzz" Fazio (February 7, 1908 – February 15, 1993) nicknamed the "Buzzer" was a pioneer and early American bowling star during the mid-20th century. Known equally for his fierce competitiveness and audience pleasing theatrics, Fazio's ...

(winner of two titles at age 56). One week later, he won his 40th PBA Tour title at the PBA Jonesboro Open, becoming the third player in history to win 40 PBA Tour titles (after Walter Ray Williams Jr. and

). It was also the first time in Duke's career that he had ever won PBA titles in back-to-back weeks. A testament to Duke's versatility, both victories were on mixed lane conditions, with the left lane and right lane featuring different lengths and layouts of oil. In 2019, Duke posted the most cashes (20) and match-play appearances (17) on the PBA Tour since his 2005 season, and his highest earnings since 2008. On his longevity, Duke stated in 2020: :"Bowling for a living is so different than most people think. It requires a tremendous commitment to excellence as well as a willingness to expose yourself to failure on a constant basis. Add in a myriad of travel delays and time away from the family; just being happy becomes a chore. The players that mentally manage the grind of the Tour and are able to stay in love with the sport are the ones that have the best chance of sustaining a good career. I have been on the PBA Tour for 38 years and I am as committed now as when I started out in 1982." On April 2, 2022, the 58-year old Duke claimed the top seed (out of 420 competitors) at the

USBC Masters The USBC Masters is a championship ten-pin bowling event conducted by the United States Bowling Congress. The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) began recognizing it as a title event in 1998, and it was designated one of the four majors in 200 ...

. Seeking to become the oldest player to win a PBA Tour title and oldest to win a major, he was defeated in the April 3 final by

Anthony Simonsen Anthony Simonsen (born January 6, 1997) is an American professional ten-pin bowler from Little Elm, Texas, currently residing in Las Vegas, Nevada. He has been a member of the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) since 2014. Simonsen became k ...

, 219–216. Prior to the finals, Duke announced that unless he qualified for the upcoming

PBA Tour Playoffs The PBA Tour Playoffs is an annual invitational event on the PBA Tour in North America that debuted in the 2019 season. After two years as a 24-player tournament, the event has been set up in a 16-player bracket-style format since 2021. Tournament ...

(he needed a win to qualify), he would be retiring from full-time competition on the PBA Tour. He will still bowl in

PBA Regional Tour The PBA Regional Tour is a series of "mini tours", run by the Professional Bowlers Association, spanning across seven regions within the United States. The Tour allows PBA members and qualifying non-member amateurs to compete in weekend events. The ...

and PBA50 Tour events. Duke made his final televised PBA Tour appearance at the 2022 PBA League Elias Cup Finals in

Portland, Maine Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropol ...

. He reprised his role as the player/manager for the Dallas Strikers, bowling lead-off for the team. The Strikers made it to the final match against the Portland Lumberjacks. After Duke's doubles partner

clinched the tournament with a spare in the 10th frame of the final game, he yielded his fill shot to Duke, who closed out his PBA Tour career with a strike. Duke's departure from the PBA Tour was met with much emotion from bowlers and fans alike, so much so that the hashtag ''#ThankYouNorm'' began trending throughout the community shortly before he made his final TV appearance.

PBA50 Tour

In 2014, Norm won two PBA50 titles, including the Senior U.S. Open, in his first season on the PBA50 Tour. For his efforts, he won both PBA50 Rookie of the Year and PBA50 Player of the Year honors. He is one of only three PBA50 players (with

Tom Baker Thomas Stewart Baker (born 20 January 1934) is an English actor and writer. He is well known for his portrayal of the Fourth Doctor, fourth incarnation of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor in the science fiction television series ''Doctor Wh ...

and Tom Hess) to win both awards in the same season. In 2016, he won his third PBA50 title and second PBA50 major at the PBA50 World Championship. He has since won three more standard titles on the PBA50 Tour, in 2017, 2018 and 2021. The latest victory made Duke one of eight players in history to win a PBA Tour or PBA50 Tour title in five different decades, joining

Dave Soutar David Soutar (born March 7, 1940) is a retired professional ten-pin bowler who competed on the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour. He won 18 times on the regular PBA Tour, and seven more times on the PBA Senior Tour (now known as the PBA ...

Johnny Petraglia John Petraglia Sr. (born March 3, 1947) is an American professional bowler. He is a member of the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA), where he won 14 PBA Tour titles. He has also won eight PBA Senior Tour titles. He is a member of both the P ...

, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Pete Weber,

and

Amleto Monacelli Amleto Monacelli (born 27 August 1961) is a Venezuelan professional bowler and a member of the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA). He has amassed 20 titles on the PBA Tour, making him one of only 16 players in history to accumulate at least ...

Awards and recognition

* Two-time U.S. Open winner (2008, 2011) and three-time PBA World Championship winner (2000, 2007–08, 2008–09) * Two-time PBA Player of the Year (1994, 2000) * George Young High Average award (1991, 1994, 2005–06, 2006–07) * Harry Smith PBA Points Leader award (2005–06) * In his first year on tour (1983), Duke won the tour stop in Cleveland, OH at age 18 years, 345 days, which is still the record for the youngest person to ever capture a PBA title. * During the 2006-07 Denny's PBA Tour season, Norm broke the tour's average record for a season, averaging 228.47; this record lasted seven years until being topped by

's 228.81 in the 2012-13 season. * Inducted into USBC Hall of Fame, 2002 * During qualifying for an April 1996 PBA tournament held in North Brunswick, N.J., Duke bowled three consecutive perfect games (900 total) in two squads. * 71 career perfect games in PBA events (through mid-2018 season) * The most recent bowler to win the "Grand Slam" (USBC Masters, PBA World Championship, PBA Tournament of Champions, and the US Open) * 5x

ESPY Award An ESPY Award (short for Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Award) is an accolade currently presented by the American broadcast television network ABC, and previously ESPN (as of the 2017 ESPY Awards the latter still airs them in the form ...

winner for Best Bowler (1995, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2019) * Ranked 7th on the PBA's 2008 list of "50 Greatest Players of the Last 50 Years" * First bowler in history to win three Major titles in a row * Inducted into PBA Hall of Fame on January 24, 2009 * BPAA

Bowling Ambassador Award winner, 2012 * PBA50 Rookie of the Year, 2014 * PBA50 Player of the Year, 2014

In the media

* During the 2006-07 Denny's PBA Tour season, Duke served as a guest commentator on

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

telecasts for events in which he failed to reach the TV Finals alongside Dave Ryan and

Randy Pedersen Randy Pedersen (born May 28, 1962) is an American sportscaster and former professional Bowler (ten-pin), bowler. He is currently a color analyst for Fox Sports (United States), Fox Sports' coverage of the Professional Bowlers Association, PBA Tour ...

. During events in which he made the TV Finals, Chris Barnes filled in as the third commentator.

Career Tour Titles

PBA Tour Titles

Major championships are in bold text. # 1983 Cleveland Open, Cleveland, Ohio. # 1991 Bud Light Open, Parma Heights, Ohio. # 1991 Tucson Open, Tucson, Ariz. # 1993

, Tulsa, Okla. # 1993 Greater Detroit Open, Taylor, Mich. # 1994 AC-Delco Classic, Lakewood, Calif. # 1994 Choice Hotels Classic, Edmond, Okla. # 1994 Brunswick Johnny Petraglia Open, N. Brunswick, N.J. # 1994 Tournament of Champions, Akron, Ohio. # 1994 Rochester Open, Rochester, N.Y. # 1995 Oregon Open, Portland, Ore. # 1995 Cleveland Open, Cleveland, Ohio. # 1997 IOF Foresters Open, Mississauga, Canada. # 1997 Ebonite Challenge 1, Windsor Locks, Conn. # 1998 Tucson Open, Tucson, Ariz. # 1998 Rochester Open, Rochester, N.Y. # 1998 Brunswick Circuit Pro Bowling Classic, Wichita, Kan. # 2000 Brunswick Pro Source Don Carter Classic, Dallas, Texas. # 2000 PBA National Championship, Toledo, Ohio. # 2000 MSN Open, Tucson, Ariz. # 2002-03 PBA Cambridge Credit Classis, Syosset, N.Y. # 2003-04 PBA Greater Kansas City Classic, Blue Springs, Mo. # 2004-05 PBA Atlanta Classic, Norcross, Ga. # 2005-06 Ace Hardware Championship, Taylor, Mich. # 2006-07 Lake County Indiana Classic, Hammond, Ind. # 2006-07 Columbia 300 Classic, West Babylon, N.Y. # 2006-07 Pepsi Championship, Indianapolis, Ind. # 2007-08 PBA World Championship, Indianapolis, Ind. # 2007-08 U.S. Open, North Brunswick, N.J. # 2008-09 PBA World Championship, Wichita, Kan. # 2008-09 Don and Paula Carter Mixed Doubles Championship w/Liz Johnson, Reno, Nev. # 2008-09 Denny's Dick Weber Open, Fountain Valley, Calif. # 2009-10 PBA Cheetah Championship, Allen Park, Mich. # 2010-11 U.S. Open, North Brunswick, N.J. # 2011-12 Detroit Open, Allen Park, Mich. # 2011-12 Mark Roth/Marshall Holman Doubles Championship w/Wes Malott, Las Vegas, NV. # 2011-12 PBA Dick Weber Playoffs, Indianapolis, Ind. # 2015 Mark Roth/Marshall Holman Doubles Championship w/Wes Malott, Indianapolis, Ind. # 2019 Go Bowling! PBA Indianapolis Open, Indianapolis, Ind. # 2019 Go Bowling! PBA Jonesboro Open, Jonesboro, Ark.

PBA50 Tour Titles

# 2014 PBA50 UnitedHealthcare Sun Bowl In The Villages, The Villages, Fla. # 2014 Senior U.S. Open, Las Vegas, NV. # 2016 PBA50 World Championship, Welch, Minn. # 2017 PBA50 Race City Open, Mooresville, N.C. # 2018 PBA50 Security Federal Savings Bank Championship, Kokomo, Ind. # 2021 PBA50 David Small's JAX 60 Open, Jackson, Mich.

Trick Shots

* Duke is also famed for his "trickshots," with his most notable being his well-renowned "Towel Shot." This is where he can sling a ball wrapped in a towel and consistently throw a strike. In September 2009 (broadcast October 25 on ESPN), Duke won the PBA's special Trick Shot Challenge event."Kulick Wins PBA Women's World Championship, Sullins Takes Senior Title." Article at www.pba.com, October 25, 2009.

References

External links

Profile at the Professional Bowlers Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Duke, Norm 1964 births Living people American ten-pin bowling players People from Clermont, Florida People from Mount Pleasant, Texas Bowling broadcasters