Hank Norton, Jr.

Retired Ferrum College Football Coach, Wilbert Henry (Hank) Norton, Jr., died at home on January 16, 2019. Norton was preceded in death by his wife, Lucy Anne (Robertson) Norton, and his parents, Wilbert Henry Norton, Sr., and Pattie Lewis (Phillips) Norton. He is survived by his brother, Lewis Franklin Norton (Frank) of Sarasota, Florida, his daughter Pattie Norton Gunter (husband David) of Great Falls, Virginia, his son Will Norton (wife Jodie) of Floyd, Virginia, his son Jack Norton (wife Kristi) of Ferrum, Virginia, his 10 grandchildren, and one great granddaughter.

Norton was born on October 15, 1927, in Huntington, West Virginia. He graduated from Lynchburg College in 1951 and later earned a master’s degree in education from the University of Virginia. Norton was a veteran of the Korean War, where he played football for the US Army post team in Frankfurt, Germany. But it was as a coach that Norton found his calling.

Norton’s coaching career spanned four decades, beginning at Powhatan High School in 1954. In 1960, Norton signed on to coach the Panthers at Ferrum College, and over the next 34 years led the team to 29 winning and five undefeated seasons. His 244-77-11 overall career record is one of the best in collegiate football. He took teams to four NCAA playoff berths, two South Region Titles (1988 and 1989), four Junior College national titles (1965, 1967, 1974 and 1977), and 15 JUCO Region X titles. He served as Ferrum’s Athletic Director for over 20 years.

Norton was immensely proud of his players, dozens of whom played for Division I programs after their two years at Ferrum (then a junior college), and over 50 of whom went on to play for professional and semi-professional teams. Throughout his coaching career, Norton embodied Ferrum’s motto: “Not self, but others.” Although he received several offers to coach at larger programs, he never left Ferrum—he was committed to the college and the men he coached there.

Off the football field, Norton was an avid fly fisherman. While at Ferrum, he spent his free weekends fishing the Smith River, and was a founding member of the Smith River Chapter of Trout Unlimited. After retiring from coaching in 1993, he moved with his wife to Deltaville, Virginia, where he spent many years guiding fishing trips on the Rappahannock River.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, February 2, 2019, at 2 p.m., at Vaughn Chapel, Wiley Drive, Ferrum College, with a reception immediately following the service, in the Blue Ridge Mountain Room. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the W.H. Norton Jr. Memorial Fund, Ferrum College, P.O. Box 1000, Ferrum, Virginia 24088. Arrangements by Flora Funeral Service and Cremation Center, Rocky Mount.