PBA Year End Awards Go to Koivuniemi, Norton and Jurek

Finland’s Mika Koivuniemi, who won the richest first prize 

in Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) history and 

became the first player ever to reach the television finals 

in all four PBA major championships in a single season,
has been selected as 2010-11 PBA Player of the Year.

Koivuniemi, who won the $250,000 first prize in the $1 

million PBA Tournament of Champions, also finished 

second in the U.S. Open, third in the Bayer USBC 
Masters and sixth in the PBA World Championship on his way to winning the PBA 
Tour earnings title with $330,040 – the third-highest total in PBA Tour history. 
The 44-year-old right-hander, who also won Player of the Year honors for 
2003-04, was the Tour’s average leader with a 222.50 average for 292 games 
bowled.

The PBA also announced Scott Norton of Costa Mesa, CA, is 2011 Harry Golden 
Rookie of the Year and Jack Jurek of Lackawanna, NY, has won the Steve Nagy 
Sportsmanship Award for the second time.

Koivuniemi, who lives in Hartland, MI, and Venezuela’s Amleto Monacelli (1989 
and 1990) are the only international players who have won PBA Player of the Year 
honors. Koivuniemi received 334 votes from his peers, easily out-distancing 
runner-up Chris Barnes of Double Oak, Texas (63) and Bill O’Neill of 
Southampton, PA. (61).

“It’s really a great honor,” Koivuniemi said. “There are only 10 players who had 
won Player of the Year more than once, and to be the 11th member of that group 
is really special.

“It was an almost perfect season for me,” he added. “Qualifying for TV for all 
four majors is a huge deal. No one had ever done that before, and to win the 
Tournament of Champions? That’s the one everyone wanted.”

Norton, a practicing California attorney, won his first PBA Tour title in the 
Pepsi Chameleon Championship. He was the only rookie to win a title during the 
2010-11 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour season. Norton received 445 votes; no other 
player received more than 15.

Jurek, who also won the Steve Nagy Sportsmanship Award in 2006, also was an 
overwhelming choice. His most visible act of sportsmanship came during the title 
match of the Bayer USBC Masters where he was top qualifier, and was on the verge 
of losing to first-time champion Tom Hess of Urbandale, Iowa.  Jurek approached 
Hess, who had broken down in tears under the emotion of his victory, and helped 
him calm down enough to finish the match.