Jay Norvell facts for kids
Norvell in 2022 as head coach of Colorado State
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| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach |
| Team | Colorado State |
| Conference | MW |
| Record | 16–21 |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | March 28, 1963 Madison, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1982–1985 | Iowa |
| 1986 | Denver Broncos* |
| 1987 | Chicago Bears |
| Position(s) | Defensive back, linebacker |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1986–1987 | Iowa (GA) |
| 1988 | Northern Iowa (WR) |
| 1989–1994 | Wisconsin (OL/WR/TE) |
| 1995–1997 | Iowa State (QB/WR) |
| 1998–2001 | Indianapolis Colts (WR) |
| 2002–2003 | Oakland Raiders (TE) |
| 2004–2006 | Nebraska (OC/QB) |
| 2007 | UCLA (OC/QB) |
| 2008–2010 | Oklahoma (assistant OC/WR) |
| 2011–2014 | Oklahoma (co-OC/WR) |
| 2015 | Texas (WR) |
| 2016 | Arizona State (PGC/WR) |
| 2017–2021 | Nevada |
| 2022–present | Colorado State |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 49–47 |
| Bowls | 2–2 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Awards | |
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Jay Norvell (born March 28, 1963) is an American college football coach. He used to play football too! Currently, he is the main coach for the Colorado State Rams football team. He started coaching them in 2022. Before that, he was the head coach at the University of Nevada from 2017 to 2021. Jay's dad, Merritt Norvell, was also involved in sports. He was the athletic director at Michigan State University for a few years.
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Playing Football
Jay Norvell played college football at the University of Iowa from 1982 to 1985. He was a great player! In 1985, he was even named to the First-team All-Big Ten. After college, he played professionally in the National Football League (NFL). He was a linebacker for the Chicago Bears in 1987.
Coaching Football
Starting His Coaching Journey
Jay Norvell began his coaching career at his old college, the University of Iowa, in 1986. He started as a graduate assistant, which is like an intern coach. From 1988 to 2001, he worked as an assistant coach at several universities. These included Northern Iowa, Wisconsin, and Iowa State. He coached different positions like wide receivers and offensive linemen.
Coaching in the NFL and College
For a short time, from 2002 to 2003, Norvell coached in the NFL. He was an assistant coach for the Indianapolis Colts and the Oakland Raiders. After that, he returned to college football. In 2004, he got his first big job as an offensive coordinator at the University of Nebraska. An offensive coordinator is in charge of the team's offense and how they score points. At Nebraska, he helped quarterback Zac Taylor become a top player.
In 2007, Norvell was the offensive coordinator at UCLA. Then, from 2008 to 2014, he coached at Oklahoma. He started as an assistant offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach. Later, he became a co-offensive coordinator. After leaving Oklahoma in 2015, he coached wide receivers at the University of Texas. He also helped decide which plays the team would run. In 2016, he worked at Arizona State before getting his first chance to be a head coach.
Leading the Nevada Wolf Pack
In 2017, Jay Norvell became the head coach for the Nevada football team. His first year was a bit tough, with the team winning 3 games and losing 9. But he quickly turned things around! The next season, in 2018, Nevada went 8–5. They even won a bowl game, beating Arkansas State in overtime at the 2018 Arizona Bowl.
Norvell led Nevada to winning records in 2019, 2020, and 2021. This means his teams won more games than they lost in four out of his five seasons there. He also helped Nevada's quarterback, Carson Strong, win the Mountain West Conference Offensive Player of the Year award two years in a row! After his successful time at Nevada, Norvell moved on to coach at Colorado State.
Coaching the Colorado State Rams
On December 6, 2021, Colorado State University hired Jay Norvell as their new head coach. Norvell likes a style of play where the team passes the ball a lot. This was different from the previous coach, who preferred running the ball more. In his first three seasons as the Rams' Head Coach, Norvell's team has a record of 16 wins and 21 losses.
About Jay Norvell
Jay Norvell's father, Merritt, and his mother, Cynthia, got married on July 4, 1962. His mother was a model. Jay has one brother named Aaron. Sadly, his mother passed away at age 79 after battling cancer. Jay Norvell is also a Catholic.
Head Coaching Records
This section shows Jay Norvell's record as a head coach for different teams.
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nevada Wolf Pack (Mountain West Conference) (2017–2021) | |||||||||
| 2017 | Nevada | 3–9 | 3–5 | 4th (West) | |||||
| 2018 | Nevada | 8–5 | 5–3 | T–2nd (West) | W Arizona | ||||
| 2019 | Nevada | 7–6 | 4–4 | 3rd (West) | L Famous Idaho Potato | ||||
| 2020 | Nevada | 7–2 | 6–2 | 2nd | W Famous Idaho Potato | ||||
| 2021 | Nevada | 8–4 | 5–3 | 3rd (West) | Quick Lane | ||||
| Nevada: | 33–26 | 23–17 | |||||||
| Colorado State Rams (Mountain West Conference) (2022–present) | |||||||||
| 2022 | Colorado State | 3–9 | 3–5 | 5th (Mountain) | |||||
| 2023 | Colorado State | 5–7 | 3–5 | T–8th | |||||
| 2024 | Colorado State | 8–5 | 6–1 | T–2nd | L Arizona | ||||
| Colorado State: | 16–21 | 12–12 | |||||||
| Total: | 49–47 | ||||||||
