{"id":48277,"date":"2025-07-08T09:04:10","date_gmt":"2025-07-08T09:04:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/48277\/"},"modified":"2025-07-08T09:04:10","modified_gmt":"2025-07-08T09:04:10","slug":"dallas-cowboys-announce-death-of-pettis-norman-former-tight-end-and-civil-rights-advocate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/48277\/","title":{"rendered":"Dallas Cowboys announce death of Pettis Norman, former tight end and civil rights advocate"},"content":{"rendered":"

Former Dallas Cowboys tight end Pettis Norman, known as much for his achievements on the field as he was for his accomplishments off of it<\/a>, died Monday, according to a team announcement. He was 86. <\/p>\n

Norman was a celebrated entrepreneur, community member and civil rights activist in addition to being an NFL player. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe mourn the passing of former tight end and civil rights advocate Pettis Norman. Known for his selfless leadership, commitment to community, and dedication to creating equal opportunity, we were incredibly proud and grateful to share his remarkable story recently<\/a>,\u201d the team wrote on X. <\/p>\n

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We mourn the passing of former tight end and civil rights advocate Pettis Norman. Known for his selfless leadership, commitment to community, and dedication to creating equal opportunity, we were incredibly proud and grateful to share his remarkable story recently. For more on\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/brks4HoLq5<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) July 8, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Be the smartest Cowboys fan. Get the latest news.<\/p>\n

Norman was selected by the Dallas Texans in the 1962 AFL draft but instead signed with the Cowboys, where he would spend the next nine seasons. <\/p>\n

\u201cGil Brandt noticed my talent and offered me a $500 bonus to sign on as a free agent,\u201d Norman told The Dallas Morning News in 2021. \u201cTo this day, Gil remembers my refusing a check and insisting on having the payment in cash. Gil had to rush to a nearby bank to secure the necessary money. I vividly recall receiving $500 in one-dollar denominations.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the Cowboys, it was money well spent. Norman played in 121 games with Dallas and totaled 124 catches, 14 touchdowns and over 1,600 receiving yards.<\/p>\n

\"OnOn June 15, 1993, Dallas Together chairman Pettis Norman announceD a program Tuesday aimed at improving opportunities for minorities and easing suspicions that companies aren’t committed to minority hiring.(Michael Ainsworth)<\/p>\n

Norman played in the infamous \u201cIce Bowl\u201d between the Cowboys and the Packers<\/a>, the 1967 NFL Championship game played in subzero temperatures at Lambeau Field.<\/p>\n

Norman also played in a time where segregation was still practiced. He spearheaded efforts to change that in Dallas. <\/p>\n

\u201cI addressed the issue of segregation, which percolated beneath the surface of the Dallas Cowboys franchise, with both Coach [Tom] Landry and Tex Schramm,\u201d Norman once told The News. \u201cFirst, I went to Tex to discuss it. \u2018It\u2019s really time we change it,\u2019 I told him. \u2018We are a team. We cannot separate by color. It sends the wrong message to us and the community.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Norman recalled that changing quickly. He roomed with Dave Manders that training camp. Later, the Cowboys played in an exhibition game in a town that practiced segregation. <\/p>\n

\u201cCoach [Tom] Landry simply said, \u2018Well, we don\u2019t play where we can\u2019t eat and sleep together as a team,\u2019\u201d Norman recalled. \u201dSuddenly, the arrangements were made, and we did play the game.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 1968, Norman was asked to come to Washington D.C. to help with the aftermath of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe nation was in an upheaval after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,\u201d Norman said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI spoke to schoolchildren about MLK\u2019s legacy and how he taught us to use our voices rather than violence. I hope my efforts helped.\u201d<\/p>\n

Norman spent three years with San Diego after his time with the Cowboys before retiring at age 34. It concluded a 12-season NFL career.<\/p>\n

After his NFL career, Norman wore many hats as a successful businessman, entrepreneur and civil rights advocate. He was at times a banker, a real estate investor, one of the first minority Burger King franchisees, the minority \u201cface\u201d of Dr Pepper ads, and an ardent proponent of equal economic opportunity in Dallas<\/a> and throughout the country.<\/p>\n

Related:Dallas Cowboys great Pettis Norman lays it all out in new autobiography<\/a><\/p>\n

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\u201cEveryone really respected Pettis,\u201d Cowboys Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach, who played with Norman for one season, told The News\u2019 Cheryl Hall in 2021<\/a>. \u201cHe got the job done as a receiver and was as good as anyone as a blocker. Pettis was a great player on the field and is a great person off the field.\u201d<\/p>\n

Norman also had an extensive history of giving back to the community. He created The Dallas Together Forum, which consisted \u201cof CEOs from Fortune 500 companies to address the pressing economic issues facing minorities and women and their inclusion in the \u2018bounties of our nation,\u2019\u201d according to his biography. That model was replicated across the world. <\/p>\n

\"PettisPettis Norman was photographed in front of the Cotton Bowl in August 2021.(Lawrence Jenkins \/ The Dallas Morning News)<\/p>\n

Norman also served on civic boards and worked with many organizations, including the Dallas Urban League, Goodwill Industries, the Dallas Association for the Mentally Challenged and many more.<\/p>\n

In 2021, Norman chronicled his own story in an autobiography called The Pettis Norman Story: A Journey through the Cotton Fields, to the Super Bowl, and into Servant Leadership. In it, he detailed the blessings that defined his life and the tribulations that he had to overcome, including the 2014 murder of his eldest daughter, Sharneen. <\/p>\n

As Brandt wrote in 2019, before his own passing, Norman\u2019s story was an incredible one \u2014 a life beyond simply what happened on the field.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo proud of him, all of his business accomplishments post-football,\u201d Brandt wrote on X in 2019<\/a>. \u201cAnd he was so influential in creating social change on Cowboys during Civil Rights era. Wish more people knew his incredible life story.\u201d<\/p>\n

More on Pettis Norman<\/p>\n

\u2014 Dallas Cowboys great Pettis Norman lays it all out in new autobiography<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 How Pettis Norman helped the Dallas Cowboys deal with race<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Cowboys tight end Pettis Norman recalls \u2018unbelievable experience\u2019 playing Packers in Ice Bowl<\/a><\/p>\n

See photos of Pettis Norman, late Cowboys tight end and civil rights advocate<\/p>\n

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Find more Cowboys coverage from The Dallas Morning News here<\/b><\/a>.<\/b><\/p>\n