Once a Tiger, always a Tiger: Norman leaves Central for new chapter at Lindbergh

Nathan Norman has built quite the resume in five seasons as head coach of the Cape Central football team.

A 41-23 record, three straight trips to the state semifinals and the school's first state championship appearance are just a few of the accomplishments in his first stint as a head coach.

But Norman's never taken credit for his success at Central, and he's not going to start now, even as he prepares to move on from the program.

He was approved Tuesday night by the Lindbergh Schools Board of Education to become the new head coach of the Class 6 Flyers, and as his time at Central begins winding down, Norman insists the Tigers' success was more than just his doing.

"I'm forever grateful to Cape Central High School and the community of Cape Girardeau for welcoming me to their school and into the community six years ago with open arms," Norman said. "It was such a great experience for me at Cape. I loved the teachers, the administration, the boosters, the moms club, the local pastors in the community who helped feed the team and mentor us on Thursday nights. It's just an eclectic group of people that made my experience at Cape wonderful, so I want to thank them for that.

"Of course, the two most important groups I didn't mention were the players over that time period and my coaching staff. Without them, none of this would have ever happened, and it was just wonderful. That's scary for me because I'm leaving behind some really great kids, and I'm leaving behind a wonderful coaching staff. But it's a great opportunity for me and my family."

Cape Central coach Nathan Norman talks to his players after their 35-15 victory over Farmington in the Class 4 District 1 championship Friday, Nov. 6, 2015 at Cape Central High School.Fred Lynch

Norman takes over for Tom Beauchamp, who served 21 years as Lindbergh's coach before the school board voted not to renew his contract in December. The Flyers were 107-95 under Beauchamp, whose best season came in 2002 when he led the program to the Class 6 state championship game. However, Lindbergh's last winning season was a 6-4 mark in 2011. The Flyers were 14-28 in Beauchamp's final four seasons, including a 2-8 finish last year.

Norman said he's already received a warm welcome from the Lindbergh community and had nothing but glowing remarks about his predecessor.

"Everybody's said nothing but great things about coach Beauchamp and his character. A coach goes 21 years at a Class 6 school -- he had to be doing something right," Norman said. "I feel humbled to take over for a man like that, and I look forward to the challenge. And I look forward to meeting the kids and the coaches and getting started."

A 1996 graduate of Jackson High School, Norman received all-state honors in both wrestling and football. He was recruited by former Arkansas coach Danny Ford to play fullback for the Razorbacks. After receiving his undergraduate degree in kinesiology, Norman signed with the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent. He played for the Panthers for one preseason but didn't make the cut, so he headed back to Arkansas to get his master's degree in education.

Norman spent seven years at Jackson as an assistant coach in football, wrestling and track before accepting an offer to become the strength and conditioning coach at Ole Miss in 2009. He spent two years at Central as an assistant coach before taking over as head coach in 2011.

He said he didn't want to pass up what appears to be an ideal opportunity for himself and for his family.

"I feel like that if I didn't take the chance or take the opportunity, I would regret it five years from now, and I just choose not to live like that," Norman said. "I don't want to live with regret, so we're going. And we're excited about the opportunity. Lindbergh's well known and respected for its high academic achievements, and I think we can create that same standard of achievement on the football field."

Lindbergh, which is located in the south suburbs of St. Louis, has more than 2,300 students enrolled. Norman said he's looking forward to getting the opportunity to familiarize himself with the current coaches and players.

"The reputation they have as far as the character of their kids, I know that's very high, and I'll be getting some really quality kids," Norman said. "Obviously they weren't very successful on the football field in recent history, but that's my job. That's what I'm hopefully going to be able to change. I'll bring in some new ideas and different approaches to the weight room and just kind of start over and start fresh."

Norman said the players were notified of his decision on Friday and that they "were kind of in shock."

"It's hard for everybody," Norman said. "It's hard for myself. It's hard for the kids. It's hard for the coaching staff. It's hard for my family. It's tough. That's the nature of the beast, but I told my kids, 'Hey, if you change nothing, nothing will change.' Not that we were in a rut at Cape, but I felt like for me personally and for my family, I needed to try something different.

"I needed a new challenge. I needed a new opportunity, and I didn't want fear to be the reason I didn't take a chance. ... I don't know how many times I'm going to be offered an opportunity like this, and I felt like I had to take advantage of it."

The Tigers won their first four games under Norman, including the unveiling of Tiger Stadium on Sept. 2, 2011. Central defeated Festus 21-20 in the debut of its 5,000-seat multipurpose facility, signaling the first game to ever be played on the school's campus in the 100-year history of the program. The Tigers won three straight Class 4 District 1 titles (2013, 2014, 2015) and two straight SEMO North Conference crowns (2014, 2015) in Norman's final three seasons.

Central athletic director Lance Tollison said Norman's "body of work speaks for itself."

"The success he's been able to have here has just been phenomenal," Tollison said. "He's been an asset with all our programs with some of the things he's done not only on the field but in the classroom. I think that'll be missed as well."

Tollison said he was notified about Norman's new job opportunity a "couple of weeks ago." He'll join principal Chris Kase, superintendent James Welker and assistant superintendent Neil Glass in naming Norman's replacement.

There hasn't been a timeline that's been put into place, but Tollison said the administration plans to "move as quick as we can."

"My personal opinion is there will be some interest because of the state of the program and what Nathan was able to accomplish," Tollison said. "I think it's an attractive position. ... We'll open up the position and see what the interest is."

There's no doubt that Norman has helped guide Central to becoming one of the most respected Class 4 schools in the state, but the 37-year-old coach insists the credit belongs elsewhere.

"The reason for the success was not Nathan Norman," the coach said. "It was the administration allowing us to hire more coaches to get equal or even with most of the teams in the conference as far as coaching staff, and it was the administration and the booster club that allowed us to purchase quality equipment in the weight room and on the practice field. It was the counselors and the principals allowing us to expand the weight lifting class and get our freshmen more involved with weight lifting during the day. It was an eclectic group of people and a lot of different variables that came together.

"My coaching staff's been phenomenal, and I had a great group of kids over that time period who bought in. And they wanted to work, and they wanted to change. They were hungry. I spoke of that all five years, and they were. That's just the truth. Our kids were hungry, and they competed. I told the kids in my final meeting that my most proud moment at Cape Central wasn't the big wins. It's the effort and how they played and how they practiced, the improvement. They don't know what it was like five years ago or six years ago or even 10 years ago. That's what I was most proud of -- how they changed their attitudes and their desire to win and compete. That makes you feel the best."