NIU sophomore Duke Burk is 19-3 this season and is ranked No. 13 in the nation.

The Peoria native talked with the Northern Star about his name, DeKalb and the Super Bowl.

Northern Star: First of all, how did you get the nickname “Duke”?
Duke Burk: When I was born, my dad wanted to name me John, but we have too many Johns in our family. Because he likes John Wayne, his nickname’s Duke, so he just decided to call me Duke, and it’s stuck ever since then.

NS: How did you get into wrestling?
DB: My dad’s actually a high school wrestling coach. He’s been a high school wrestling coach for almost 30 years.
I started as soon as I could walk. It’s been around my whole life, and I’ve been doing it for almost 20 years.

NS: What was it like having a brother [former NIU wrestler Danny Burk] on the team?
DB: It was something you can’t explain unless you get to go through it, because whenever one of us needed to work out, [the other] was there. Whenever one of us had a problem, [the other] was there.
I still get to talk to him even though he’s home now, but it’s different because I don’t get the one–on–one time. Traveling, we were always roommates. It’s like a comfort level, you could say, always being around your family just because your brother’s there.

NS: What do you like best about NIU/DeKalb?
DB: Well, the weather isn’t any good. Best thing about NIU/DeKalb is it’s not too big, not too small. Plus, it’s only two hours from my house. I wanted to go away from home, but you don’t want to get too far away.

NS: Coming to NIU — did the fact that your brother was here have something to do with it?
DB: Yeah, that was pretty much the main reason I came here. I got to know the team pretty well before I came here. But my brother was probably the main reason I came here.

NS: Who else were you recruited by out of high school?
DB: Actually, before my senior year of high school, I wasn’t recruited by anybody. I wasn’t much of a high recruit because I had only placed in state once. I was gonna get a lot of offers after the season after placing at senior nationals, but they can’t talk to you after you sign. I wasn’t gonna go anywhere else, either way.

NS: What do you like the least about DeKalb?
DB: Probably the dead summers. I stay here in the summer and nobody‘s here. I don’t like the weather in Peoria, either. I hate being cold.

NS: Cubs, Sox or Cards?
DB: I used to be a Cards fan, but when they made the World Series everybody hopped on the bandwagon, so I quit. If I had to cheer for the Cubs or White Sox, I’d cheer for the Cubs, but I hate both of them.

NS: What did you think of the Super Bowl?
DB: I was glad because I love the underdogs. Plus, everybody ripped on Eli Manning and loved Tom Brady, and Eli Manning showed them up.

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