Jimmy Norris - 1958

Jimmy Norris, 48, of San Angelo, died in Tom Green County.  Services were at 1:00 p.m. Wednesday, September 28, 1988 at Johnson’s Funeral Home Chapel in San Angelo.  Graveside services were at 4:00 p.m. Wednesday at Coleman Cemetery.  Local arrangements were under the direction of Stevens Funeral Home.

He was born December 19, 1989 in Coleman County, Texas.  He was reared in Coleman.  He was a supervisor at Goodyear Proving Grounds.

Survivors include his wife Linda of San Angelo; two sons, Cody Norris of Rock Springs, and Cameron Norris of San Angelo; one daughter, Holly Norris of Coleman; his parents, Coy and Virginia Norris of Coleman; one sister, Janis Norris of Coleman; and two nephews.

Coleman High School has lost another of its outstanding athletes from some years ago.  A heart attack claimed Jimmy Norris a few days ago at the age of 48.

Jimmy enrolled at Coleman High School as a freshman in 1954.  He was a big lad.  I recall watching him play basketball that first year and overheard a visitor say “wonder how old that boy is?”  He was quite surprised to learn that Jimmy was only a young freshman.  Jimmy was a fine basketball player but it was football where he gained the most attention.  He was a big, strong, fast fullback.  When he got in the open it was usually six points.  He could bulldoze the line or move out when he got in the secondary.  In his senior year, Jimmy made all-district and all-state honorable mention.  In that senior year, 1957, Coleman beat Ballinger 25-7.  Jimmy scored three touchdowns and gained 238 yards in that game.  That is likely a school record, certainly for the past several decades.  The same year the Bluecats rolled up 506 yards in beating Cross Plains.

Jimmy’s two sons, Cody and Cameron, carried on the tradition.  They both made all-district as Bluecats.  Jimmy’s dad, Coy, told me an amusing story about Cody one day.  Seems that Cody was making a lot of yardage and got to wondering if he might be rivaling his dad.  He asked granddad about it, and Coy handed him the scrapbook on Jimmy.  Cody turned through a number of pages, said “oh heck,” and handed the book back to Coy.

My brother Roy and I were working the sidelines back when Jimmy was playing, with notebook and camera.  At one point in a game a punt rolled dead on the Bluecat five yard line.  On the first play Jimmy broke through the line and raced 95 yards to the goal line, only to have the play called back on a penalty.  That run would have gone well in the scrapbook.

Jimmy was a great one.