Congratulations to Long Beach Poly's Don Norford and Crystal Irving on receiving the Long Beach Century Club's Loel Schrader High School Coach of the Year Award, and Don Norford on his Induction into the LB Century Clubs 2014 Hall of Fame. -AG
CRYSTAL IRVING and DON NORFORD, POLY TRACK and FIELD
(1) "It likely comes as no surprise that Coaches of the Year are the powerhouse pair from Long Beach Poly, longtime head coach Don Norford and assistant head coach Crystal Irving, who has helped run much of the day-to-day operation of the program in recent years.
Norford retired at the conclusion of this season as the most successful high school coach in California history, having won 18 state titles (double the next best coach) and 25 CIF Southern Section championships. This year's Poly girls team won the state crown -their sixth in seven years - and had the third-best point total in state meet history, behind tow other Norford-coached Poly teams.
Norford went out on top-the las event he coached was the final race of the 2014 state meet, with the Poly boy 4x400 winning with a nation-leading time.
"'I'm just blessed to know that I helped to make a difference in this world and in these young peoples' lives,"' Norford says. The program has been handed off to Irving as smoothly as a baton, as she was named director of Poly boys and girls track and field at Norford's retirement party."
Don Norford won the Loel Schrader Award in 2004. Crystal Irving won in 2009, and both Norford and Irving won again in 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013.
On Tuesday, February 3rd, 2015, Alumni Coach Don Norford received the 2014 Induction into the Long Beach Century Club's Hall of Fame along other notables in sports; WALTER "SPUD" O'NEIL (Baseball), and ROLLIE DAVIS (Golf).
Don Norford, Track and Field Coach, 2014 Hall of Fame Inductee
(2) "As a kid growing up in Long Beach in the 1050's, Don Norford used to peek through a mulberry bush to watch Dee Andrews and Willie Brown kicking up dust in Long Beach Poly's track meets. Norford used to go straight to Poly after getting out of Roosevelt Elementary, and hop a low fence so he could get an up-close view of the track meets.
'"All I wanted was to be a part of it,'" he says.
Last spring, Norford officially retired after 38 years of coaching Jackrabbit track and football stars. Not only did he become a part of what he called "'the Poly mystique,"' he became synonymous with it - it's impossible to imagine one without the other.
Norford is far and away the most successful high school sports coach in the history of the state of California. Numbers don't lie -- Norford's track teams won 25 CIF Southern Section championships and 19 CIF State championships, both records. Given that he didn't take over the track program until 1989, that means he hit those marks in 25 years.
In fact, besides Poly, no high school in the state of California has won more than 17 state titles, in all sports combined.
Norford's track athletes won 61 individual track gold medals, and 150 individual CIF-SS championships, and his girls teams own the four highest team totals in the state meet history.
He was also an assistant with the Poly football team for 38 years, coaching on 10 of Poly's 19 CIF championship teams --the las CIF title Poly won without Norford on the sideline was in 1959. In his time with the football team, he coached every single position, and worked with more than 40 future NFL players, and became the first ever assistant coach to receive the NFL Coach of the Year award.
He was also named National Federation of High Schools and MaxPreps' National Coach of the Year last year, as well as the Dream Team Coach of the Year and All-City Coach of the Year. He's won the Century Club's Coach of the Year award more than anyone else. A few months ago, the CIF-SS inducted him into their Hall of Fame.
More that his success as a coach, Norford served as a surrogate father and provided a home for many of his athletes, along with his late wife, Carol, who was his partner in establishing the modern dynasty at Poly. Working with thousands of Long Beach Youths over the last four decades, Norford literally changed the future of the city, bringing pride and love to generations of Long Beach athletes and students.
The house he and Carol bought on Easy Avenue less than three miles from Poly in 1975 is a well-known refuge and safe haven for the youth of Long Beach.
Residing there then and now is Don Norford -- the greatest high school coach in California history, and tonight, an inductee into the Century Club's Hall of Fame."
References (1) (2) Taken from the Long Beach Century Club's 59th Annual Sports Night Banquet 2015 Brochure.
For more information on the Century Club, please visit:http://www.lbcenturyclub.org/
For video highlights of the nights event, please visit Gazettes Sports at:http://www.gazettes.com/sports/century/video-long-beach-century-club-awards-banquet/youtube_3cd29210-ac5c-11e4-b01e-e31d999974a1.html
