TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Norman Norton was larger than life to those that knew him, and for the Lincoln High School wrestling team, he was more than an assistant coach. He was a mentor, he was tough when he needed to be, and he never forgot you if you wore that Trojan uniform.
Coach Norm died in a motorcycle accident over the weekend, a loss this team will feel for a long time.
"He was the epitome of the Lincoln Trojan," said Lincoln head coach Mike Crowder.
A Lincoln High graduate, who fell into wrestling.
"He came in one day, was talking some trash, I launched him," laughed Crowder. "Huge, huge throw. He landed though, and when he popped up, he goes, "woah, can you teach me how to do that?""
Norton was all in from that day on. Coaching base teams while serving in the Air Force, he was offered a chance to train at the Olympic Training Center, but eventually came back home, becoming an assistant at his Alma mater in 2015.
"That man walked around and you could just feel a fiery spirit walking around," said former Lincoln wrestler Elliott Crum. "He would always amp everybody up - never failed at not amping everybody up."
"He's always been a big part of my life, not only because of wrestling, but everything," added current wrestler Mason Crowder. "Life in general, he taught me a bunch of things."
The impact he left, won't be forgotten.
"Show no fear," said Mason of a lesson he learned from Norton. "It's always about the size of the fight in the dog, it's not about the size of the dog."
"He'd say, I want you to run through that wall," added Crum. "It was crazy, because we believed that he actually believed we could."
An legacy that is larger than life.
"I talk about being the example, being a Lincoln Trojan I can be proud of forever. He embodied everything I want them to try to be," said Mike.
One left for others to follow.
"He would always want you to keep breaking through that wall, just keep reaching your goal," said Crum.
"I'm going to miss most is his fight," added Mason. "He wanted everybody to do great, he wanted everybody to move forward. Now, that he's gone, he'd want you to do the best you could."
A legacy for a life well lived. The funeral for Norton is set for Friday at 11 a.m. at Jacob Chapel Baptist Church in Tallahassee.
