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The 1955 Centralia High School
graduate quarterbacked the 1954 football
team to a 9-1 record and undefeated South
Seven Conference title. Norwood scored 73
points on the season with 12 touchdowns, as
the team outscored their opponents 377-60.
He was named first team offense All-South
Seven Conference and second team defense
All-South Seven.
He also garnered second team All-Southern
Illinois and honorable mention All-State
honors. After high school, he played
four years of varsity football at SIU-C
while pursuing a degree in Chemistry. He
became the first black to quarterback the
Salukis his Sophomore year and remained the
starting quarterback for his Junior and
Senior years.
His Senior season (1958), he guided the
Salukis to a 7-2 record, the best since
1947. In SIU’s game with Western Illinois
that year, Norwood threw two touchdown
passes to “Night Train” Lane in the
closing minutes to pull out a 32-31 victory.
He was named first team All-Conference
(Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic
Conference), and second team All-Illinois
College by the Peoria Journal Star. The
Chemical and Engineering News named him
first team All-American (for students
majoring in these fields).
Norwood has also been named to the SIU
Athletic Hall of Fame and the SIU ROTC Hall
of Fame. He is also a member of the
Centralia Historical Hall of Fame (1995). In
1965, he became the first black pilot for
United Airlines, and in 1974, he was
appointed by the Governor to the SIU-C Board
of Trustees.
In 2009 Norwood was awarded the
Distinguished Alumni Award by Centralia High
School. The following is the
information included on his award which
hangs on the walls of the new Centralia High
School:
Links to
internet sites related to William Norwood
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