Brian Norwood enters his fifth season at Baylor in 2012, his second as
associate head coach.
Norwood coaches the safeties after spending his first three seasons in
Waco serving as defensive coordinator. In Norwood's three seasons
(2008-10) supervising the defense, Baylor had nine players earn All-Big 12
honors and two garner All-America honors.
Both of Baylor's 2011 starting safeties, Mike Hicks and Sam Holl,
earned 2011 All-Big 12 honors. Holl finished second on the squad with
113 total tackles and Hicks was third with 105 - each had three
interceptions.
In 2010, Norwood coached first-team All-Big 12 honoree Byron Landor,
who totaled 127 tackles.
Prior to Baylor, Norwood spent seven seasons as safeties coach on
College Football Hall of Fame head coach Joe Paterno's Penn State staff.
A 22-year collegiate coaching veteran, Norwood began his career as a
graduate assistant coach at Arizona (1990-91), before spending three
seasons (1992-94) as outside linebackers coach at Richmond. He then
spent five years at the U.S. Naval Academy (1995-99) as defensive backs
coach and one season at Texas Tech (2000) as defensive backs coach
before moving to Penn State in 2001. Teams he has worked with have
earned nine bowl bids.
During Norwood's seven seasons at Penn State, the Nittany Lions led
the Big Ten in pass efficiency defense twice (2004 and 2005) and finished
third on two occasions (2003 and 2006). Nationally, Penn State ranked
among the nation's top 25 in pass efficiency defense four times including
a No. 4 ranking in 2004. At the end of the 2007 regular season, the Nittany
Lions' defense ranked sixth nationally against the run (87.92 ypg), eighth
in scoring defense (17.58 ppg), ninth in total defense (306.58 ypg) and
44th in pass efficiency defense (119.14 rating).
Norwood coached 2006 Big Ten interceptions leader and first-team All-
Big Ten safety Anthony Scirrotto, and developed All-Big Ten and NFL
defensive backs Shawn Mayer (led conference with 144 tackles as a
senior) and Calvin Lowry. He also coached 2003 second-team All-Big Ten
pick Yaacov Yisreal.
At Navy, Norwood tutored Sean Andrews, who earned second-team
All-America honors in 1995, as well as Robert Green, an All-Independents
team selection. In Norwood's second season at the Annapolis, Md.,
school, Navy fashioned its best record since 1978 at 9-3 and registered a
42-38 victory over California in the 1996 Aloha Bowl. With Norwood on
staff, the Midshipmen posted back-to-back winning seasons (1996 and
1997) for the first time since a five-year run of winning campaigns ended
in 1982.
In his lone season at Texas Tech, Norwood coached strong safety Kevin
Curtis, a first-team All-Big 12 honoree who shared the Red Raiders' MVP
honor. The Red Raiders played in the 2000 Galleryfurniture.com Bowl.
Norwood, who calls Honolulu, Hawai'i and Glenarden, Md., home,
graduated from the University of Hawai'i in 1988 with a bachelor of
science degree in communications. He was a four-year letterman as a
cornerback/safety for the Rainbows from 1983 through 1987 and received
the team's Most Improved Defensive Back award as a senior.
He and his wife Tiffiney have five children--Gabriel, Jordan, Levi,
Brianna and Zaccariah, as well as two grandchildren--Cassius and Orion.
Gabriel and Jordan helped State College Area High School to the 2003
PIAA Basketball Championship. Gabriel was a member of George
Mason's 2006 men's basketball Final Four team and plays professionally
in the Philippines. Jordan plays wide receiver in the NFL with the
Cleveland Bowns. Levi is a wide receiver at Baylor. Brianna is a
sophomore on the dance team at George Mason. Zaccariah plays
basketball for Midway High School.