Coach – Football
Columbus, GA, native Dr. Norman Passmore, Sr., coached the Original Dunbar Bearcats Football Team from 1951-1967. He was also an assistant coach on Dunbar’s historic basketball team during that time.
As Dunbar’s football coach, Dr. Passmore led the Bearcats to a 98-16 record, along with six ties, giving him a stellar winning percentage of 85.9%. His charges won numerous championships, including three state football titles in the Kentucky High School Athletic League (KHSAL) before all-black schools were permitted to play in the Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA) tournament beginning in 1957.
A man of many gifts and talents, Dr. Passmore also taught chemistry at Dunbar, coached briefly at Kentucky State University, and served as assistant principal at Henry Clay High School. His love of sports and depth of leadership experience led to Mr. Passmore’s appointment to serve on the Kentucky High School Athletic Association Board of Control. Also a man of faith, he pastored St. Matthews African Methodist Episcopal Church in Midway, KY, and Perkins Chapel A.M.E. Church in Wilmore, KY. In addition to his civic, religious, and social contributions, Mr. Passmore was also a veteran of World War II.
An outstanding athlete himself, Dr. Passmore played quarterback on a Kentucky State University squad that won national championships in 1934 and 1937. He was inducted into the KSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1975.
