Norwood happy to be back in Annapolis serving second stint as Navy assistant coach

Brian Norwood is crabbing every day.

Norwood has a long dock off the back yard of his home in St. Margaret’s and it provides the platform for one of his favorite activities.

Norwood dropped a couple crab traps off the pier and he checks them early in the morning before heading to work and again in the evening after getting off.

“It was a little slow for part of the summer, but things are picking up now and I’m starting to catch a lot more,” Norwood said.

That fondness for crabbing is one of the reasons Norwood returned to the Naval Academy for a second stint as an assistant coach. It was a pursuit he relished while serving as cornerbacks coach at Navy from 1995-99.

“I absolutely love blue crabs,” Norwood declared. “So that was big-time right there. Being able to get back to the Chesapeake Bay region definitely played a part in my decision.”

The Norwood family rented a house off Pleasant Plains Road during that initial stop in Annapolis. Now they own a house in that same Whitehall Beach neighborhood and it’s a dream come true for Norwood.

“One thing with moving back here: I told my wife I wanted a house on the water,” he said. “I think the best way to enjoy Annapolis and what it offers is to be on the water.”

When Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo decided to overhaul the defensive staff, he immediately thought about bringing back Norwood. Niumatalolo and Norwood have been best friends since their days as two-sport athletes at Radford High and have always remained close.

Niumatalolo and Norwood were both brought to Navy by Paul Johnson, who was hired as offensive coordinator under head coach Charlie Weatherbie in 1995. Weatherbie fired Niumatalolo as offensive coordinator in 1998 and the next year Norwood left to take a job at Texas Tech.

“Brian and I have always known we would like to coach together again. It just had to be the right situation for both of us,” Niumatalolo said. “We’ve stayed in constant touch over the years and we both wanted this to happen at some point.”

Norwood became a rising star after leaving Navy – spending seven seasons as secondary coach at Penn State under legendary head coach Joe Paterno then serving as defensive coordinator and associate head coach at Baylor from 2008 through 2014. Most recently, Norwood was co-defensive coordinator at Kansas State, which changed head coaches during the offseason.

Hall of Famer Bill Snyder retired and was replaced by Chris Klieman, which was one of the reasons Norwood was willing to consider coming back to Navy.

“With Coach Snyder retiring and things changing at K-State, I just felt this was an opportunity I needed to take,” Norwood said. “I’m really enjoying being back at the Naval Academy. It’s been a breath of fresh air.”

Family also was a major factor for Norwood, who grew up in the Glenarden area of Prince George’s County. Norwood’s father died a few years ago, but his mother still lives in the area while his daughter currently resides in D.C.

“Everything sort of fell into place and I’d say it’s a blessing,” Norwood said. “All my moves have been directed from a faith standpoint and this was the right opportunity at this point in my life.”

Bringing Value to the Staff

Norwood was on the short list of candidates Niumatalolo considered for defensive coordinator. The 12th-year head coach wound up hiring Brian Newberry away from Kennesaw State, but still wanted Norwood to play a prominent role.

“I really felt Brian could help us. He’s one of the best secondary coaches in the entire country,” Niumatalolo said. “I’ve already seen the impact he’s made on that part of the defense.”

Niumatalolo helped broker a marriage between Newberry and Norwood, who spoke on the phone a couple times to get to known each other better. Norwood holds the title of co-defensive coordinator, but it is Newberry who makes all the final decisions on that side of the ball.

“One of the big reasons I came here was because when I talked to Newberry on the phone there was an instant connection,” Norwood said. “Coach Newberry is a very bright defensive coordinator who knows his system and exactly what he wants to do. I know the buck stops with Brian and he’s made working with him very easy since day one.”

Newberry could have felt threatened by having a veteran defensive coordinator as an assistant. Instead, he welcomed Norwood with open arms.

“I knew all about Coach Norwood, and the first thing I did was reach out to people in the profession that knew him on a more personal level. Everybody said the same things about him and it was all positive,” Newberry said.

“I was excited to have someone with his pedigree on the staff. Coach Norwood has forgotten more football than I know,” Newberry added. “He’s a tremendous coach and a great resource. He adds to our defensive meeting room every day.”

Newberry is smart enough to seek advice and input from a colleague who has been coaching since 1990. They share a love for working with the the back end of defenses and scheming ways to shut down the opponent’s passing game.

“Coach Norwood has been doing this a long time so he’s full of knowledge,” Newberry said. “We’ve both always coached in the secondary so we bounce ideas off each other all the time. There are some new things he’s brought to the table and we’ve merged some stuff together.

“Two heads are always better than one, especially when you’ve got one like Coach Norwood’s.”

Newberry added that he leans on Norwood in certain situations and that mutual level of respect is important to making the relationship work.

“It means a lot to come into a place where you feel you have value. I believe what I bring to the table as a coach is valued by both Kenny and Brian. At this point in my career, that’s all I really want,” Norwood said.

By all accounts, Norwood could have stayed at Kansas State under Klieman, although not necessarily as defensive coordinator. There were other Power Five opportunities out there had Norwood chosen that route, but the intangibles pointed him toward the Naval Academy.

Special Relationship

Foremost among those was the chance to coach alongside Niumatalolo for the first time in 20 years. During August training camp, Norwood’s vehicle was being serviced so he hitched a ride home with Niumatalolo.

“Kenny and I have always been very close and we still talk like we did when we were kids in high school,” Norwood said. “I respect who Kenny is as a man and the type of head coach he has become. He is a person with certain principles he believes in and sticks with.”

Norwood, like Niumatalolo, is a man of faith. Niumatalolo’s mandate that Sunday is a day of rest for the coaching staff to spend time with family and worship should they choose, resonates with Norwood.

“It’s special to be able to work for someone who you know what’s inside his heart. Kenny has great passion for coaching the young men here at the academy,” Norwood said. “I didn’t need to get up to speed with regard to Kenny’s vision and philosophy because I knew what it was already.”

Norwood moved from Glenarden to Honolulu in 1980 and it was quite an emotional and cultural change for a high school freshman, whose father had been transferred from Andrews Air Force Base to Hickam Air Force Base.

Norwood showed up at Radford High as a total outsider, not easily accepted by the native Hawaiians. Niumatalolo took the newcomer under his wing, welcoming Norwood to the high school and the island.

Norwood will never forget the summer day, following a morning weightlifting session, that Niumatalolo and his cousin, Thor Salanoa, took him to McDonald’s for lunch. Norwood had enough money for a cheeseburger, but the two Hawaiians insisted on buying him a Big Mac.

“That was kind of a sign that I had been accepted,” said Norwood, who had arrived at Radford toward the end of the school year. “Kenny and his family really embraced me and my brother.”

Niumatalolo and Norwood played football and basketball together at Radford for three years then were reunited as teammates at the University of Hawaii. Along the way, they became best friends and remain so to this day.

“I first met Brian at junior varsity football practice. He was a mainlander all the way from the East Coast, but I knew immediately he was a good dude,” Niumatalolo said. “That presence you feel being around Brian now was the same back then.”

Niumatalolo and Norwood moved on to the University of Hawaii as football teammates then came to Annapolis together as young assistant coaches. They have shared many life milestones over the years, watching each other’s children grow up.

“Brian is probably the best person I know in life. I’ve never heard anyone say a negative word about Brian Norwood. He’s one of the most Christ-like men I’ve ever met,” Niumatalolo said. “I loved the idea of Brian coming back here and I’m really happy it worked out. It’s just so awesome to once again be able to spend time with Brian on a daily basis.”