BUONO GIVES COACH’S KID CHANCE TO PLAY
Levi Norwood, brother of Broncos star Jordan, to suit up for Leos
The toughest challenge in his first professional training camp was his own metabolism.
Brian Norwood first experienced the nemesis of diabetes a year after his college career at the University of Hawaii when he was trying to make the roster of the Calgary Stampeders: a plunge in bloodsugar level, a sudden loss of weight, a compulsion to constantly run to the bathroom and “pee like a race horse,” bone weariness, all crippling afflictions that compromised his chances to making the CFL team.
“I was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes,” Norwood recalls. “I went to camp, played a couple of pre-season games, but I never got to play for the Stampeders. It was a shock (his diagnosis). At the time, I had two kids. We started a family early in life. I suddenly had to think quickly about our future and what I was doing to do.”
The year was 1989. Wally Buono, then the Stamps’ defensive coordinator, was one year away from being named Calgary’s head coach. Despite their very limited association — Norwood, a defensive back, was released after the Stampeders took care of his medical issues — he has remained in contact with Buono over the years, starting in 1990, as a graduate assistant coach at the University of Arizona.
Moving on to Richmond, Navy, Texas Tech, Penn State, Baylor and now Tulsa, where he is codefensive coordinator, Norwood continues to pass on names of college prospects he feels might interest the B.C. Lions’ head coach and general manager.
Norwood’s latest recommendation is his own son, 24-year-old receiver/returner Levi Norwood, the young brother of Denver Broncos Super Bowl champion Jordan Norwood. Levi, who went undrafted but had looks from the Chicago Bears and the Pittsburgh Steelers, also got the thumbs-up from Lions player personnel assistant Geroy Simon, who saw him in a tour of NFL camps.
With the return of import, free agent receivers Bryan Burnham and Terrell Sinkfield still unknown, and Nick Moore coming off knee surgery, the Lions have signed Levi Norwood and Darrin Peterson, a 22-year-old receiver who played at Liberty University.
“Both Levi and Jordan are slashing runners, very quick with great vision,” says Brian Norwood.
“Levi is very steeped in the fundamentals, very intelligent and a great kid. There’s no drama with him. He’s a quiet, respectful kid who doesn’t get rattled. I reached out to Wally. And I told Levi the Lions would be a great opportunity to work at his trade. He just wants to play.”
By all reports, Levi has a nice hip fake, an ability to make tacklers miss after the catch by the way he rotates his hips, rather than straight flat-out speed, although a “hidden accelerator” is another of his attributes.
His brother Jordan, older by six years, used those same techniques to advantage in Super Bowl 50. His 61-yard punt return — the longest in Super Bowl history — set up the second of three Brandon McManus field goals as the Broncos beat the Carolina Panthers 24-10.
“Basketball is my first love. It’s a passion for me,” Levi says.
“I play a lot of basketball. You move your hips, in a lot of different ways, when moving the ball up the court. I’ve kind of translated that ability to the football field.”
As a redshirt freshman at Baylor, Levi suited up for the Bears varsity basketball team — as did Jordan, at Penn State, when he played basketball and football in his junior season with the Nittany Lions. Gabe Norwood, the oldest of five Norwood siblings, is the most accomplished of the bunch on hardwood.
He plays professional basketball in the Philippines and for the national team, taking advantage of dual citizenship. Tiffiney Norwood, the family’s mom, is half-Filipino.
Long after everyone had left the practice field at Baylor, where his dad coached for eight seasons, Levi Nor wood could run up to Brian, give him a football and ask if he wouldn’t mind throwing a few. Though Levi lived off-campus, a home-cooked meal, and a football coach who could talk the game into the night, were always close at hand.
“I see it as an advantage,” Levi says.
“I was brought up in the game. I know how the organization of a football team works, what’s expected. You probably have a better feel for the game. Being a coach’s kid, I think other coaches respect that. I know my dad thinks very highly of Wally.”
In time, he’ll find out if the Lions feel the same about him.