Jeff Norman '78 won a lot of games with his legs as a run-first quarterback directing
John Gagliardi's famed quadruple option at Saint John's University from 1975-77.
But it's a game he won using his leg in a different fashion for which he is best remembered.
That came during his junior season in 1976 when Norman – who also handled the Johnnies' kicking duties – booted a 19-yard field goal as time expired to lift Saint John's to a 31-28 victory over Towson State in the Division III national championship game (
below left).
The victory marked the third of the program's four national championships under Gagliardi, who coached at SJU from 1953-2012 and ended his career with a college-football record 489 career victories.
"I just felt exhilaration when I saw that ball go through the uprights," Norman recalled. "That was more than I'd ever dreamed of.
"That team really didn't start out focused on winning a national championship. It actually seemed like a pretty faraway goal. It wasn't until the middle of the season and toward the end when we saw how well we were playing that it began to seem obtainable."
The Johnnies played extremely well that season and Norman was a big reason why, directing a unique quadruple option offense that Gagliardi had drawn up prior to Norman's first season as the starter in 1975.
After tying Minnesota-Morris 15-15 in the season opener, helped by a 46-yard Norman field goal (a school record at the time), Saint John's won its next 10 straight – including blowout postseason victories over Augustana (Illinois, 46-7) and Buena Vista (Iowa, 61-7).
Norman scored 34 points in the win over Augustana, which was an NCAA postseason record at the time.
The championship matchup against Towson State in Phenix City, Ala., was televised nationally on ABC. And at first it looked as if it would follow much the same pattern for the Johnnies, who built a 28-0 lead going into the fourth quarter.
But then the Tigers began their rally, rattling off four unanswered touchdowns to tie the score. SJU got the ball back at its own 41-yard line with 25 seconds left to play.
"In the second half, our strategy was to take time off the clock by running the ball even more than we usually did," Norman said. "We just wanted to run out the clock. But then Towson got the ball back and scored, then scored again, and again … and again.
"So we found ourselves in a position where we had to get moving in a hurry."
Norman accomplished that by connecting with running back Jim Roeder '77 – who had been on crutches in the days leading up to the game, but had been forced into action at slotback because of an injury to another player.
"Jim would probably have not even dressed for that game if he wasn't a senior and such a great player," Norman said. "I thought we had time for three plays. I drew up a pass play in the huddle that put Jim one-on-one with the cornerback. He was the only intended receiver, which was a lot to put on an injured player. But he ended up playing the whole game and was great the whole way. He got open, made a nice catch and a great run."
The 58-yard completion put the ball on the Towson 1-yard line. The Johnnies then called timeout to talk over their next move.
"John had so much faith in Jeff's decision-making on and off the field," recalls Mike Carr '77, a teammate of Norman's in both football and baseball during their time at SJU, who now provides commentary on the Johnnies' radio broadcasts.
"When Jeff ran over to talk to John after that play, I was on the sideline near that conversation. John asked him what he wanted to do – sneak it or kick it. And I remember his last words to Jeff were 'Just do what you want.' He trusted him that much."
"The linemen told me we could sneak it in, so that's what I called," Norman added.
But on the quarterback sneak that followed, Norman – himself playing with a banged-up shoulder – almost went from hero to heartbroken.
"I fumbled the ball, but (running back) Tim Schmitz '78 made a great play and fell on the ball," Norman said.
That kept the Saint John's drive alive. And Norman didn't dwell on the near-miss. Instead, he lined up and confidently kicked the game-winning field goal.
"ABC played that for years as part of its college football opener," Carr said. "It was a pretty special moment."
The ABC crew voted Norman the game's Most Valuable Player. But he said there were plenty of other stars that day.
"We had a lot of guys who stepped up," he said. "Our entire backfield played well. Roeder had a great game. Brad Eustice '77 had over 100 yards rushing. Tim Schmitz had 160 yards rushing and caught a 35-yard touchdown pass. It was maybe the best three-back performance in any Saint John's playoff game."
While the game-winning kick may have been the signature moment of Norman's career at Saint John's, it was far from the only highlight. He led the Johnnies to their third straight conference title (one in each of the years he started at quarterback) as a senior in 1977. That team finished the season 7-2, falling 20-9 to Wabash (Ind.) in a postseason game played in sub-zero cold in Collegeville.
Norman finished his career 25-3-2 as a starter, earning All-MIAC honors twice and All-American distinction once. His career victories are tied for sixth all-time among starting quarterbacks in the program and his 130 career point-after kicks ranks fourth.
"He was the straw that stirred the drink on those teams," Carr said. "He was the mastermind of that offense."
An offense Gagliardi designed with Norman partially in mind. He came to Saint John's from Park Center High School, where he had already had success running an option offense.
It also helped that the Johnnies were blessed with running backs like Schmitz, whose 3,933 rushing yards stood as a program record until it was broken by Sam Sura '16 in 2015.
"That was the brilliance of John," Norman said. "He designed an offense that nobody had ever seen before. And even after they saw it, they still didn't quite know how to defend against it. He designed it to take advantage of the skills of the players we had.
"We had a great group of unselfish linemen – they just wanted to win. And we had one of the best running back groups in the history of Saint John's football – Schmitz, Roeder, Eustice and Scott Edstrom '77. Add to that one of the best defenses in the country and the best coach in the country and you can see how we won a national championship."
It wasn't just football where Norman excelled. He was a four-year baseball starter who earned All-MIAC honors and boasted a .331 career batting average. He hit .436 as a sophomore in 1976 and helped lead Saint John's to an MIAC title as a junior in 1977.
"I had been recruited by the University of Minnesota in both football and baseball, but the football coaches didn't want their quarterbacks playing baseball because of spring practice," Norman said. "I wanted to play both sports, so that ruled out the Gophers.
"At Saint John's, they encouraged you to play both sports. And I really enjoyed my time playing baseball up there."
But he is best known for his role in leading the Johnnies to a national championship on the football field. And Norman is more than OK with that.
"Winning the national championship has really bonded the guys on that team together for life," he said. "It was a unique accomplishment – something not a lot of people can say they've done. And I've always taken a lot of pride in having been a part of that."
