Pettis Norman, a former Dallas Cowboys and San Diego Chargers tight end has died. He was 86 years young. Norman has established himself in just a few years as one of history’s great athletic overachievers. He spent his life fighting for civil rights, making huge contributions both on the field and outside of it.
Over the course of his NFL career, Norman played in all 162 games of the National Football League (NFL), starting 122 of those games. He finished out his career with 183 receptions for 2492 yards and 15 touchdowns. During his time with the Cowboys, he caught 124 passes. Among those, he found the end zone 14 times and averaged an eye-popping 13.5 yards per reception. He was a proud member of the first Cowboys squad to make it to the Super Bowl. He was professionally successful, as the 1971 Colts won Super Bowl V.
After an All-Pro career with the Cowboys, Norman went to the San Diego Chargers. At the time, this was the most high-profile trade in NFL history, as it sent Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver Lance Alworth to Dallas. Prior to this trade, Norman hit the streets of Dallas to protest. He challenged the world to carry that sentiment beyond the sport, calling for a greater social justice agenda.
In addition to his football career, Norman devoted time to serve in the Texas Army National Guard. Fulfilling this promise proved difficult during his first seven seasons in the NFL. His legacy as a civil rights hero extended well past his time on the gridiron. In 1993, he created the Dallas Together Forum to increase minority hiring and foster contracts for women- and minority-owned enterprises.
Norman’s work was central to the NFL’s ultimately productive reckoning with race. He was important in winning over head coach Tom Landry. Most importantly, they together defeated their universities’ practice of assigning hotel rooms based on race while traveling for road games. His work ignited a larger movement for civil and racial equality in the civil rights era. His impact extended beyond the court as he sought to actively participate in locker room discussion and wider conversations in the Dallas community.
Norman’s impact went far beyond the sports field. As a result of this decision, he became the first Black officer at any bank in Dallas, showing his unwavering commitment to opening doors for minorities.
Reflecting on his activism, Norman once stated, “I tried to do whatever I could do [to] help change the kinds of things that society had operated under for such a long time.”
The Dallas Cowboys released a statement expressing their condolences: “We mourn the passing of former tight end and civil rights advocate Pettis Norman.”
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