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Dynasty Athlete Representation

Norm Duke Wins Bowler Of The Year ESPY

Better being a couple of days late on this story than never announcing it.  A member of Dynasty’s family won an ESPY!  Congratulations to Norm Duke for winning an award that he definitely deserved.  Here is the press release put out by the PBA:

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.

By Darren Heitner

Darren Adam Heitner, Esq., is a preeminent sports attorney and the founder of Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., a Fort Lauderdale-based law firm specializing in sports law, contract negotiations, intellectual property, and arbitration. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2010 and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude, from the University of Florida in 2007, where he was named Valedictorian of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Admitted to practice in the state bars of Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia, as well as multiple federal courts, Darren also serves as a certified arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association.

As an adjunct professor, Darren imparts his expertise through teaching Sports Law at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) at the University of Miami School of Law in the Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law LL.M. program. His scholarly contributions include authoring several books published by the American Bar Association, such as How to Play the Game: What Every Sports Attorney Needs to Know, and numerous articles in prominent publications like Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and Above the Law. His thought leadership in NIL has earned him recognition as one of the foremost experts by The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, and On3, and he has been lauded as a “power player in NIL deals” by Action Network and a “top sports trademark attorney” by Sportico.

Darren’s passion for sports law led him to establish Sports Agent Blog on December 31, 2005, initially titled “I Want To Be A Sports Agent.” The platform, created as a New Year’s resolution, has grown into a cornerstone of the sports agency community, offering in-depth analysis of industry trends, legal disputes, and agent-player dynamics. His commitment to the field is further evidenced by his representation of numerous athletes and sports agents, as well as his prior role as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington, where he developed and taught a course on Sport Agency Management from 2011 to 2014.

Darren’s contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors, including the University of Florida’s 40 Under 40 Award, the University of Florida Levin College of Law’s Outstanding Young Alumnus Award, and designation as the best lawyer in Fort Lauderdale by Fort Lauderdale Magazine. He remains an active voice in the sports law community, sharing insights through his weekly NIL newsletter and his X posts, engaging a broad audience on legal developments in sports.

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