A 29-year coaching veteran, Brian Norwood returns to the Naval Academy after a 19-year hiatus. Norwood was the defensive backs coach at Navy from 1995-99 and in his first year at Navy he coached cornerback Sean Andrews to Second Team All-America honors. In Norwood’s second season in Annapolis, Navy finished at 9-3 – its best record since 1978 – 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.
Norwood comes to Navy from Kansas State where he was the program’s co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach for one year. Under Norwood’s direction, the Kansas State defense made the biggest jump in the Big 12 in pass defense, moving from last in the league (309.1 yards per game) to fourth (245.8). The 245.8 passing yards per game were the fewest passing yards Kansas State had allowed in the last five years.
Prior to Kansas State, Norwood was the associate head coach and co-defensive coordinator while also coaching the safeties at Tulsa from 2015-17. Norwood coached at Baylor from 2008-14, serving as the defensive coordinator from 2008-10 and the associate head coach and safeties coach from 2011-14.
During his three seasons coordinating the Bear defense, Norwood oversaw a unit that totaled nine All-Big 12 honorees and two All-Americans. During the Bears’ 2013 Big 12 Championship season, Norwood coached First-Team All-American Ahmad Dixon, while both of Baylor’s 2011 starting safeties, Mike Hicks and Sam Holl, earned All-Big 12 honors. Holl finished second on the squad with 113 total tackles and Hicks was third with 105, and each had three interceptions. In 2010, Norwood coached First-Team All-Big 12 honoree Byron Landor, who totaled 127 tackles.
Norwood, whose resume includes 13 bowl appearances, was an assistant under Joe Paterno at Penn State from 2001-07. During Norwood’s seven seasons in Happy Valley, the Nittany Lions led the Big Ten in pass efficiency defense twice (2004 and 2005) and finished third on two occasions (2003 and 2006). 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.
In his lone season at Texas Tech, Norwood coached strong safety Kevin Curtis, a Second-Team All-American and First-Team All-Big 12 honoree, as the Red Raiders played in the 2000 Galleryfurniture.com Bowl.
Norwood’s first full-time coaching job was guiding the outside linebackers at Richmond (1992-94) after serving two years as a graduate assistant at Arizona (1990-91).
Norwood was a four-year letterwinner at both cornerback and safety at Hawaii (1984-87) and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in communication in 1988. He and his wife, Tiffiney, have five children: Gabriel, Jordan, Levi, Brianna and Zaccariah. Gabriel was a key member of George Mason’s 2006 men’s basketball Final Four team. Jordan played eight seasons in the NFL, including the 2015 campaign with the Super Bowl Champion Denver Broncos, while Levi was a four-year letterwinner at Baylor (2011-14).
