Undrafted, But Undeniable<\/p>\n
Despite being selected in the 16th round of the 1962 AFL Draft by the Dallas Texans, Norman joined the NFL\u2019s Cowboys as an undrafted free agent \u2014 thanks to a sharp-eyed scout named Gil Brandt, who would later join the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Norman spent nine seasons in Dallas, playing 133 games and averaging 13.6 yards per reception. 1970 he helped lead the Cowboys to their first Super Bowl appearance.<\/p>\n
Leading Change On and Off the Field<\/p>\n
While Norman\u2019s on-field performance turned heads, his off-field leadership left a lasting imprint. In the Cowboys\u2019 segregated early years, he convinced legendary head coach Tom Landry to stop assigning hotel rooms by race. He was also the first Black official at a Dallas bank \u2014 a milestone that reflected his influence in the business community.<\/p>\n
\u201cPettis encouraged all of the players to open up bank accounts,\u201d former teammate Calvin Hill recalled. \u201cHe encouraged us to establish credit. He encouraged us to get involved in the community.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Dallas](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pettis-norman-1.jpg\")
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A Gentle Exit, A Lasting Impact<\/p>\n
Norman\u2019s character was on full display even in the final moments of his Cowboys tenure. Before trading him to the San Diego Chargers in 1971, Coach Landry visited Norman at his job to deliver the news in person \u2014 a rare gesture in the business of football.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said, \u2018I\u2019ve had to do the most difficult thing I\u2019ve ever had to do in football. I\u2019ve had to involve you in a trade,\u201d Norman once recalled.<\/p>\n
Norman would finish his career with the Chargers, but his presence in Dallas \u2014 and his legacy \u2014 never left.<\/p>\n
Champion for Civil Rights and Economic Equity<\/p>\n
Long before activism became a buzzword in pro sports, Pettis Norman was about that life. He began his civil rights journey by participating in lunch counter protests as a college student. In the 1990s, he founded the Dallas Together Forum, an initiative that pushed major corporations in Dallas to improve minority hiring practices and increase contracts for women- and minority-owned businesses.<\/p>\n
\u201cI tried to do whatever I could to help change the kinds of things that society had operated under for such a long time,\u201d he once said.<\/p>\n
Forever HBCU<\/p>\n