Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, August 19, 1993 TAG: 9308190028
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: FERRUM LENGTH: Long
Norton told the Roanoke Times & World-News on Wednesday that he will retire as the Panthers' head coach at the end of the 1993 season. That will finish one of the most successful careers in college football history.
Norton has guided Ferrum to a 239-73-11 record since 1960. His Panthers won four national junior college championships before the program moved to the NCAA's Division III eight years ago. The Panthers have reached the playoffs four times since 1987.
"I think this will probably be it," Norton said of the upcoming season.
Probably?
"No, this reallly is it," he said. "I told my wife [Lucy] this would be my last season, so that makes it certain."
Norton told his team, which began workouts earlier this week, of his impending retirement Wednesday night. Although he has hinted at retirement for a few years, the official word went to the administration of the Franklin County college late Wednesday afternoon.
He has had only three losing autumns in 33 years, coaching five undefeated teams and nine others that finished with one loss. When Ferrum left the junior college football ranks in 1984, the bald legend known as "Big Daddy" owned the record for coaching victories. His name is synonymous with Ferrum.
"I'm not a legend," Norton insisted with a smile. "I'm just a fat old man. I'll be 66 in October. How many people are stupid enough to still be coaching football at that age? Sometimes I wake up in the morning and say, `Why do you do this?' Then I remember.
"I told my wife coaching is a young man's game. I'm just an old field coach, but I've really enjoyed it, and maybe I'll enjoy this season the most. Coaching is 6 in the morning until 9 at night now. The only easy day is the day you play. Coaches shouldn't get awards. It's the coaches' wives who should be honored."
Norton retired from his second stint as the Panthers' athletic director in the spring, and said he thought then that this might be his last season as coach. He's been hedging on that decision for several years.
"People have been asking me every day for years, `Coach, when are you going to quit?' Now, I'll know what to tell them. I'm old enough now that none of the people I started coaching with are still coaching. Sometimes I wonder where they went. Are they dead?"
Norton, a native of Huntington, W.Va., attended Marshall University and Concord College, then graduated from Lynchburg College in 1951. He has a master's degree in education from Virginia. During the Korean War, Norton served as a physical reconditioning instructor for the Army in Germany and played football for a post team in Frankfurt, the "Black Knights."
He became a head coach in 1954 at Powhatan High School, where his teams compiled a 40-16-3 record in six seasons before he moved to Ferrum.
A three-time national junior college coach of the year, Norton was selected as the NCAA Division III coach of the year in 1988, when the Panthers went 11-1 and reached the semifinals. When Ferrum switched to a four-year program in 1985, some questioned whether Norton could continue the success he had on the junior college level.
Although the Panthers have had trouble scheduling opponents - some schools have ducked them because of their talent - Ferrum has continued to win. Last year's 4-5 record was an exception.
"We could have been 8-1 with a few breaks last year," Norton said. "That was a nightmare. In '86, we were 3-8 as a new four-year program. That was a nightmare. Other than that one season, I've pretty much enjoyed all of them."
Although the game has changed and Norton has adapted, his coaching style - direct and firm but nurturing - has been consistent. The 1993 Panthers will meet for breakfast at 7:15 a.m. every Monday through Friday during the season.
"You need to be there every morning," Norton said. "You come to breakfast or you can run up the mountain, or you can leave.
"All of our players have been treated that way, and most of them appreciate it. I guess what makes me sick is that I'll miss that part of it. I'll miss the teamwork, the togetherness.
"I've been fortunate to have been associated with a lot of great people, and a great school. It's not all me. A lot of people have helped me. I'm sure a part of me will feel lost. It's like an old dog who's been going home to the same house for years, and then the people move."
Norton said he and his wife plan to move to their summer home in Deltaville, which is located in Middlesex County. "I'm sure we'll still spend lots of time in Ferrum, visiting family and friends and coming to football games," Norton said. "I consider myself a Franklin Countian. I always will. It's been a great place for me and my family. Franklin County has been very supportive.
"There are things we want to do that we've never done or haven't been able to do. We'll spend more time with our three grandchildren and our three children. Sometimes I feel like I've missed them growing up.
"I've never been able to go fly fishing in the fall. Next year, I will."
Norton's 40th season as a head coach begins Sept. 4, when the Panthers visit Thomas More in Crestview Hills, Ky., to start a nine-game schedule.
by CNB