 Norton with theWashington Commanders in 2025 | |||||||||||
| Washington Commanders | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title | Linebackers coach | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born | (1966-09-29)September 29, 1966 (age 59) Jacksonville, Illinois, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||
| Listed weight | 254 lb (115 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school | Westchester(Los Angeles, California) | ||||||||||
| College | UCLA (1984–1987) | ||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1988: 2nd round, 41st overall pick | ||||||||||
| Position | Linebacker, No. 51 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
Playing | |||||||||||
Coaching | |||||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||
Playing
Coaching
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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| Coaching profile at Pro Football Reference | |||||||||||
Kenneth Howard Norton Jr. (born September 29, 1966) is an American professionalfootball coach and former player who is thelinebackers coach for theWashington Commanders of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football as a linebacker for theUCLA Bruins and was selected by theDallas Cowboys in the second round of the1988 NFL draft.
Norton is the first player to have won three consecutiveSuper Bowls during his playing career, doing so with the Cowboys andSan Francisco 49ers. Only one other player,Darian Kinnard, has accomplished this feat since; however, Kinnard did so without appearing in any postseason games across his three-year stretch, making Norton the only player to achieve this as a regular starter.
Since retirement, Norton has coached at both the college and professional level. In college, he has worked as the linebackers coach forUCLA andUSC, briefly serving as assistant head coach with the latter. At the NFL level, he has previously served asdefensive coordinator for theOakland Raiders andSeattle Seahawks and currently works as the linebackers coach for theWashington Commanders. Norton is the son of the late former world champion boxerKen Norton.
Norton is a graduate ofWestchester High School inCalifornia, where he played as arunning back averaging 8.8 yards per carry as a senior.
He went on to play atUCLA from 1984 to 1987, where he was converted tolinebacker, the position he would play for the remainder of his football career.
Norton was a member of the 1985 conference championship team, and helped the Bruins to four consecutivebowl game wins. He led the team with 106 tackles in 1986 and 125 in 1987. He ranks sixth in school history with 339 career tackles.
He was named the team's defensive MVP in 1987, earned first-teamAll-American honors, and was a finalist for theButkus Award.[1]
Norton was inducted in theUCLA Hall of Fame in 1998.
| Height | Weight | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft1+3⁄4 in (1.87 m) | 230 lb (104 kg) | 8+1⁄2 in (0.22 m) | 4.56 s | 1.60 s | 2.65 s | 4.37 s | 32.0 in (0.81 m) | 9 ft 6 in (2.90 m) | 21 reps | |||
| All values fromNFL Combine[2] | ||||||||||||
Norton was selected in the second round of the1988 NFL draft by theDallas Cowboys.[3] He spent most of his rookie year on theinjured reserve list with a broken thumb.
In 1989, Norton andJesse Solomon shared theweakside linebacker position. He played the first and third quarters, Solomon the second and fourth.
In1990, he became a full-time starter when Solomon held out and was eventually traded to theTampa Bay Buccaneers. A knee injury sidelined him for the last two games of the season.
In1991, he bounced back from knee surgery and was used atstrongside linebacker andmiddle linebacker during that season, eventually settling in at the middle linebacker spot.
In1992, he blossomed as a player and became the leader of the defense, leading the team in tackles with 120 and helping the Cowboys win their first Super Bowl in the 1990s. That year the Cowboys had the number one defense in the league, but no player was voted to thePro Bowl. He also started doing his trademarked punching of the goal posts or the air, after making good plays. A tribute to his father, the one time boxing heavyweight champion of the world,Ken Norton.
In1993, he had to play through a torn biceps injury,[4] but still managed to lead the team in tackles with 159, helping the Cowboys win their second straightSuper Bowl. He was also selected to his firstPro Bowl. Norton played in Dallas between1988 and1993, assisting the Cowboys to victory inSuper Bowl XXVII andSuper Bowl XXVIII. Norton scored his first careertouchdown on a fumble recovery in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XXVII, helping to seal a Cowboys victory.
In1994 when asalary cap was instituted in theNFL, the Cowboys organization felt they could findlinebackers through the draft, without the need of paying a premium and adversely impacting the salary cap, so they allowed talented and productive players likeDarrin Smith,Dixon Edwards,Robert Jones, and Norton to leave via free agency, instead of signing them into long-term contracts.
During the first year offree agency, he joined theSan Francisco 49ers from1994 to2000. He became the first player to win three consecutive Super Bowls when the 49ers wonSuper Bowl XXIX, a feat that remained unmatched until 2025, when Philadelphia Eagles offensive linemen Darian Kinard accomplished the same feat - winning two Super Bowls with the Chiefs, and his third with the Eagles. Norton was selected to his secondPro Bowl in 1995. Norton was also named to the NFL All-Pro Team following the 1995 season. Norton is also notable for his part in ending the career ofNapoleon McCallum. In the first game of the1994 season, Norton, along withBryant Young, tackled McCallum during a rushing play. While he was being pulled to the ground, McCallum's knee collapsed backwards into an unnatural position, almost at a 90-degree angle. After the play, Norton remained under McCallum while medical staff attended to McCallum.
Norton finished his 13NFL seasons with 12 sacks and 5 interceptions, which he returned for 127 yards and 2touchdowns (both in the same game against theSt. Louis Rams in1995). He also recovered 13 fumbles and returned them for 36 yards. Along with ex-teammateDeion Sanders, Norton won consecutiveSuper Bowls on different teams. Years later,LeGarrette Blount andChris Long would become the third and fourth players to do so.
In 2004, he joined the coaching staff of theUSC Trojans football team under Head CoachPete Carroll. From 2004 to 2009, he served as the linebacker coach for the Trojans; while at USC he helped recruit and develop NFL-bound linebackers such as NFLPro BowlerLofa Tatupu,Dallas Sartz,Keith Rivers,Brian Cushing,Kaluka Maiava,Clay Matthews III, andRey Maualuga.
On January 7, 2009, Norton was promoted to USC Assistant Head Coach for Defense. A form of recognition of his continuing work with the USC linebacker corps, he has developed three consecutiveRose Bowl MVPs: Brian Cushing (2007), Rey Maualuga (2008) and Kaluka Maiava (2009).[5]
Attending the player evaluations of the by-invitation-only 2009 NFL Scouting Combine were all four of Norton's Trojan senior class linebacker protégés: Brian Cushing, Kaluka Maiava, Clay Matthews III, and Rey Maualuga.
On January 11, 2010, it was announced that USC linebackers coach Norton would be joining head coach Pete Carroll in Seattle to fill the same role with the Seahawks, reuniting him with his protégé, Seahawks defensive standoutLofa Tatupu.[6]
Norton would also win his fourth Super Bowl,Super Bowl XLVIII on February 2, 2014, his first as a coach.[7]
Norton was instrumental in the development of theSeattle Seahawks star linebacker group consisting of All-ProBobby Wagner, Pro BowlerK.J. Wright, Super Bowl MVPMalcolm Smith, special teams captainHeath Farwell, veteranLeroy Hill, and pass rush specialistBruce Irvin.
On February 6, 2015, he was named the defensive coordinator for the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders also signedSeattle Seahawks outside linebackerBruce Irvin reuniting him with his former coach.
Under Norton's tutelage, outside linebackerKhalil Mack won theNFL Defensive Player of the Year Award at the end of the2016 season.
He was fired by head coachJack Del Rio on November 21, 2017, two days after the Raiders suffered a blowout 33-8 loss to theNew England Patriots and the defense having notintercepted a pass in 11 weeks.
On January 8, 2018, he was hired as the 49ers assistant head coach,[8] leaving the position just 1 week later when the Seahawks hired him as defensive coordinator.[9] Norton was fired after the conclusion of the2021 NFL season lasting 4 seasons in his second stint with the Seahawks.[10]
In February 2022, Norton returned toUCLA as linebackers coach under head coachChip Kelly.[11]
In February 2024, Norton was hired by theWashington Commanders as their linebackers coach.[12]
Norton is the son ofKen Norton, former world champion heavyweightboxer noted for being among the few to ever win againstMuhammad Ali.
