Norm Duke Wins Bowler Of The Year ESPY

LOS ANGELES (July 20, 2008) — Norm Duke won the Bowler of the Year Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly (ESPY) Award at the 2008 ESPYS presented by Hummer in Los Angeles which aired on ESPN on Sunday, July 20.

The ESPYS celebrate the top moments, most emotional stories and best performances of the past year in sports. Online voting determined the ESPY winners as fans were able to vote for their favorite athletes in each category. Duke beat out fellow PBA stars Chris Barnes and Walter Ray Williams Jr.

"To receive recognition for the efforts required to compete on the highest level in any sport is always meaningful and I am thrilled," Duke said. "The opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments of great athletes, and to be alongside those athletes, is one that I will never take for granted. It's a special night for sports and I would like to thank ESPN and the PBA for making it possible."

Duke, who won the Bowler of the Year ESPY in 1995 and 2007, won the final two Majors of the '07-08 season to secure a three-season exemption despite battling injuries earlier in the season. His victories in the Denny's World Championship and the 65th Denny's U.S. Open made him just the sixth bowler in history to win back-to-back Majors and the 10th to win two Majors in a season.