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April 21, 2006


Norton's Induction into Virginia Sports Hall of Fame Set
Former Grid Coach Hank Norton Joins Class of 2006

FERRUM, Va.  –  Legendary coach Hank Norton, who led Ferrum to four national football championships, will be inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame this weekend.

The VSHF Class of 2006 will be inducted during the Hall's 35th annual awards dinner in Portsmouth Saturday.  The event coincides with the one-year anniversary of the dedication of the new Virginia Sports Hall of Fame facility.  The dinner will be part of the Hall of Fame Weekend which includes a Celebrity Reception and Golf Tournament Friday, April 21.

          Virginia Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2006

Norton joins an elite group being inducted into the VSHF Class of 2006; NASCAR drivers Glen and Leonard Wood, former Old Dominion University All-American and NBA All-Star Mark West, former James Madison University All-American and NFL star Charles Haley, former Emory & Henry College football All-American Bob Miller, and former Dallas Cowboys All-Pro Herb Scott.  Also being inducted is journalist Calvin Moses Jacox.

Among other criteria, candidates for induction must have lived in Virginia for at least four years or must have achieved national or international recognition while attending a Virginia college or university.

Norton coached at Ferrum from 1960 until 1993, amassing an impressive 244-77-11 college football career coaching record, led the Panthers to College's first-ever national title in any sports when his 1965 football team won the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) football championship.  The Panthers would go on to win three more titles in 1968, 1974 and 1977.  Ferrum was also national runner-up in 1966.  Norton's teams also won 15 Region X titles.

Norton was at the helm of the program when Ferrum made the switch from junior college to NCAA Division III competition in 1985.  He guided the Panthers to the NCAA playoffs in 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1990.  Ferrum won the South region title in 1988 and 1989, both years advancing to the national semifinals.

Norton earned three NJCAA Coach of the Year honors and was named Coastal Conference Coach of the Year six times.  In 1988, was named NCAA Division III Coach of the Year by Football News and College Division Coach of the Year by Eastman Kodak.

Norton coached 46 All-Americans during his career, and 42 of his former players signed contracts to play professional football.

Norton was honored in 1964 by the National Football Coaches Association when he won the "National Play of the Year" award. He was also named to the Virginia Sports “Wall of Fame” in 1979.

Norton began his coaching career at Powhatan High School in 1954 and, in six years, put together a 40-16-3 record.  He totaled 284-93-14 career coaching mark, combining his high school and collegiate programs.

Norton's "Defensive Football" and "The Kicking Game" have been published in the American Football Coaches Journal, while his articles "Ferrum's Basic 4-3 Defensive Front" and "Ferrum's Weak Side Isolation Misdirection" have been published in Junior College Review.

Norton's coaching career spans five decades in which he's seen many coaches come and go. Among a few men who were coaching when Norton began were Ara Parseghian, Paul "Bear" Bryant, and Woody Hayes. Heading into his grand finale, Norton is listed among the NCAA's winningest active Division III college football coaches.

At the close of the 1993 season, Norton received a letter from President Bill Clinton congratulating him on his impressive coaching career and wishing him well in his retirement years. The letter is currently displayed, along with many of Norton's accomplishments and awards, in the lobby of the Norton Field House which is adjacent to the Ferrum football and baseball facilities.

A native of Huntington, West Virginia, Norton attended Marshall University and graduated from Lynchburg College in 1951.  He later earned a master's degree in education from the University of Virginia. During the Korean War, he served as a physical reconditioning instructor in the United States Army.  He also played football for the US Army post team "The Black Knights" in Frankfurt, Germany.

An avid fisherman, Norton remains an amateur ichthyologist and entomologist with a special interest in the remaining cold water fishing in Virginia.  He was also the founder of the Smith River Chapter of Trout Unlimited.

Norton and his wife, the former Lucy Robertson of Lynchburg, have three children: Pattie, Will and Jack.  Since his retirement, Hank and Lucy have resided in Deltaville, Virginia.  He attends many Ferrum football games, both home and away, and was been instrumental in helping Ferrum bring over 400 football alumni back to campus for the 50th-Year Football Reunion in May of 2005.

Established in 1972, the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame and Museum has been proud to honor Virginia’s contributions to the world of sports as the Commonwealth’s official sports hall and museum.  The Virginia Sports Hall of Fame pays tribute to those men and women who have made a lasting contribution to the cause of sports in Virginia, the nation, and the world through outstanding achievement or service. This includes athletes, coaches, administrators, and other contributors to sports.

For more information on tickets for 2006 Hall of Fame Weekend, please contact the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame at (757) 393-8031, or online at www.vshfm.com.
 

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