Jay Norvell has been the head coach for the Colorado State Rams since 2022. Norvell was a linebacker and defensive back for the Iowa Hawkeyes from 1982–1985. He also played for two NFL teams, Denver Broncos in 1986 and Chicago Bears in 1987. Norvell began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Iowa from 1986–1987. He then went to Northern Iowa to coach the wide receivers in 1988. He then went on to Wisconsin where Norvell worked as the offensive line, wide receivers, and tight ends coach from 1989–1994. After that, Norvell coached both the quarterbacks and the wide receivers at Iowa State from 1995–1997. Norvell’s NFL career includes working with wide receivers for the Indianapolis Colts from 1998–2001 and was the tight ends coach for the Oakland Raiders from 2002–2003. Norvell started his collegiate coaching journey as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Nebraska in 2004 until 2006. In 2007, Norvell committed to UCLA, and in 2008, he moved to Oklahoma, then Texas in 2015, and after a season he joined Arizona State in 2016. Norvell earned his first head coaching job in 2017 at Nevada until 2021. He took on Colorado State’s program in 2022 and since then he has been established as one of the top collegiate coaches in the country.
Jay Norvell earned some vital coaching experience at both the collegiate and the NFL level. During his tenure at Oklahoma, Norvell coached the future NFL stars Kenny Stills and Sterling Shepard and set back-to-back offensive records from 2008-2010. As the head coach of Nevada from 2017 to 2021, the Wolf Pack made five consecutive bowl appearances and won two games. Norvell also trained Carson Strong, who became a two-time Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year. In 2023 at Colorado State, he improved the Rams' game on both offense and defense and won against Boise State for the first time in the program’s history. In 2024, Norvell started a Minority Fellowship Program, which helps young minority coaches gain some coaching experience.
Jay Norvell Parents
Jay Norvell's parents are Cynthia Norvell and Merritt Norvell.
Who is Jay Norvell's Mother?
Cynthia Norvell is Jay Norvell's mother. She was a fashion model and passed away at the age of 79 battling cancer.
Who is Jay Norvell's Father?
Merritt Norvell is the father of Jay Norvell. He was the head of the community who played football at Wisconsin. Merritt was the first black athletic director to be appointed for Michigan State. He was also the one who established the NCAA Minority Development Program.
FAQs on Jay Norvell
A. Jay Norvell played for the Iowa Hawkeyes.
A. Jay Norvell played as a linebacker and defensive back.
A. Jay Norvell's collegiate record is 45-45.
A. Jay Norvell's Bowls record is 2-1.
