Photo and article courtesy of Gadsden State
Longtime coach Eddy Norris was recently named women’s head basketball coach at Gadsden State. With 34 years of experience coaching at the collegiate and high school levels, Norris brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to the team.
“I’ve been blessed,” he said. “It’s been 34 successful years of coaching, and I’m very proud of that.”
Norris (pictured at left) has a long-standing commitment to developing student-athletes both on and off the court.
“I want to help develop skills for people so they can do great things for themselves,” he said. “As coaches, we want to inspire others to do great things. We want them to be the best that they can be.”
Norris’ playing and coaching career spans multiple sports and levels of competition with several athletic accomplishments. A 1982 graduate of Sand Rock High School, he was a standout in football, basketball, baseball and track for the Wildcats. Norris’ basketball honors include All State first team, All-Region 6 first team, Area 12 Most Valuable Player, Cherokee County MVP and three-time selection to the All Area and All County teams. He was a participant in the AHSAA Alabama North/South All-Star game in 1982.
On the basketball court, Norris ranks in the Top 10 in four rebounding categories in Alabama state high school history, including most rebounds in a season (21 rebounds per game, second overall), most rebounds in a single game (31 points, third overall), most rebounds in a season (567, seventh overall), and most rebounds in a career (1,318, ninth overall).
As a football player, Norris was named All-Region 6 MVP and All-Area 12 Offensive MVP and was a two-time member of the All Area and All-Cherokee County teams.
After high school, Norris played basketball at Snead State Community College, where he served as team captain, before finishing his playing career at the University of Montevallo, where he was named Team MVP and earned the Neal Shirley Award for the Most Outstanding Student-Athlete in 1986.
After graduation, Norris coached for three years at the University of Montevallo before enrolling at the University of Mississippi to pursue a doctorate in education. In 1990, Norris returned to Sand Rock High School and had a successful coaching career that spanned two decades. In 2010, he took the assistant coaching position at Albertville High School.
In 2015, Norris moved to Tuscaloosa when his son Riley committed to play basketball at the University of Alabama. Riley played 136 games for Crimson Tide, the most ever by a UA basketball player. During that time, Norris served as a part-time basketball coach at American Christian Academy for three years. His daughter Jordan was also a successful student-athlete, having played for the Jacksonville State University. Norris counts his own children among the many athletes he has coached throughout his career.
“I have been very proud of my children’s achievements and the successes of many of those I have coached,” he said. “I’ve helped a lot of men and women to get college scholarships and beyond.”
In 2023, Norris returned to northeast Alabama to coach basketball at Coosa Christian Academy, where he led junior high, junior varsity and varsity boys’ basketball teams.
In addition to coaching basketball, Norris has coached youth soccer, winning five state championships. In all, he has earned 1,127 career wins across various sports as a coach.
Norris’ appointment as the new head coach of the Lady Cardinals followed the resignation of Marty Dixon in December due to personal reasons. Dixon, who had previously coached the Lady Cardinals from 2015 to 2019 and again in 2023, asked Norris to join the team as an assistant coach to help turn the program around. After Dixon’s departure, Norris took on the head coach role while still juggling assistant coaching responsibilities. He said he is committed to guiding Gadsden State toward success.
“It’s not about me,” Norris said. “It’s about the team. We want to turn this program into a competitive program. That’s our mission. We are united as a team. It’s more ‘we’ than ‘me.’ I’m very team focused. I want our young ladies to play well for each other. We expect them to do their best. It’s required each day, and we hold them accountable. As a result, they will be happy with what they have accomplished.”
As part of his long-term plan for the program, Norris is focusing on recruiting, which he believes is the lifeblood of any successful team. Six student-athletes recently visited Gadsden State.
“Recruiting is the first step,” Norris said. “The next step is getting them to compete successfully for Gadsden State.”
To support the team’s development, Gadsden State cross country coach Jackson Millander has volunteered as an assistant coach.
“Jackson has been a huge asset,” Norris said. “He and Ashton Moody, our team manager, have both really stepped up to help.”
As the Lady Cardinals continue their journey under Norris’ leadership, he is committed to building a strong and unified team.
“We need continuity,” he said. “Once a good system is in place with a good team playing for one another, we’ll accomplish a lot. We are in the building phase to get there. I know we can do it.”
