Athlete – Basketball
Born in Paris, KY, Norman L. Jackson was raised in Lexington, where his basketball career kicked off at Lafayette High School as a sophomore. However, it wasn’t until the Jackson family moved to the Winburn community that ‘Stormin Norman’, as he is affectionately known, transferred to Bryan Station High School for his junior and senior year, and his career skyrocketed.
“Norman Jackson is a great one,” Coach Bob Barlow declared, during the Defenders defeat of the Henry Clay Blue Devils in 1974. Norman was selected All-City, All-Region, and All-State, and was named to the All-Tournament teams in the Louisville, Fayette County, and Ashland invitationals. His stellar talent paved the way for him to be selected to play for two elite all-star teams. Those teams were the Lexington All-Star team, which played against the Russian National Junior team that was touring the country, and the Kentucky High School All-Star team, which played in the Kentucky vs. Indiana All-Star game against future NBA legend Larry Bird.
As Norman’s high school career came to a close, he made the decision to attend Austin Peay University in Clarksville, TN. Assistant Coach Colin Stewart characterized Norman by saying, “He is definitely one of the best high school guards in Kentucky.” Head Coach Lake Kelly followed with the words, “We have been impressed with his defense and his ability to penetrate the ball.”
From 1974-1978, Norman’s career of excellence continued as an Austin Peay Governor, where he still holds the following records:
* 1st – Single-game assists (16 vs. Southern Miss in 1975-76)
* 1st – Single-season assists (211 in 1976-77)
* 3rd – Single-season assists (204 in 1977-78)
* 1st – Career assists (637)
* 1st – Career assist average (5.8)
* 1st – Assists per game in a season (7.6 in 1977-78)
* 2nd – Assists per game in a season (7.5 in 1976-77)
* 10th – Assists per game in a season (5.0 in 1975-76)
* 1978 OVC All-Tournament Selection
Even after college, Norman didn’t leave the game. He went into coaching for a few years, getting the opportunity to pour into some of Kentucky’s rising youth on the court, such as Jonathan and Jason Richmond, Brandon Garr, and Matt Ginter, to name a few. Norman even coached some local stars to a national championship!
In his professional career, Norman worked for Windstream Kinetic, formerly GTE, and retired after 38 years. He came out of retirement, working for four additional years for Fayette County Public Schools. Although he has gone back into retirement, he still stays active by playing a lot of pickleball.
Norman is a devout Christian and is married to the former Marsha Bolton. Between them they have three children: Vaché King, and Joey and Jason Bond. They share 11 grandchildren and five great grandchildren, some of whom have followed in Norman’s footsteps, carrying his legacy of basketball, hard work, and determination.
