LAFAYETTE NORWOOD

Assistant Coach, 1978-81

Lafayette Norwood

Lafayette Norwood, Class of 1954, was a standout basketball player, earning All-Jayhawk Conference honors in 1953 and 1954, and All-American honors in 1953. That same season, Norwood, a freshman, led the Tigers to a 29-5 record and a runner-up finish at the national tournament. He was joined in the starting lineup in 1952-53 by three past Hall of Fame inductees: Ray Potter, J.C. Louderback, and Jim Reed. Norwood scored 14 points to help the Tigers win their first Western Division title with a 76-64 victory over Dodge City in a playoff held at Independence on March 3, 1953. A second-place finish in the West during the 1938-39 season had been the school’s best showing up to that point. ACJC outscored Dodge City 45-30 in the second half, wiping out a three-point half-time deficit. Potter scored 20 points in that game, while Reed added six.

Hall-of-Fame Coach Dan Kahler arguably assembled the best basketball team in school history during Norwood’s freshman year. The lineup included Norwood, Potter, Louderback, Reed, and Norwood’s Wichita East teammate Linwood Burns. If it weren’t for Kahler, Norwood would have gone somewhere else.

"I didn’t know if I really wanted to go there," he said. "But he (Kahler) based everything on individual character, academics and obviously athletics. Those three features went together. He found that in me."

After ACJC, Norwood and Potter helped Southwestern College win the conference title and reach the semifinal round of the national tournament his junior season. After earning a bachelor’s degree from SWC, Norwood received a master’s degree from Wichita State University. While in Wichita, he served the school district as a teacher at the elementary and junior high levels. He taught and was an assistant basketball coach at Wichita East for a year, then enjoyed nine years as head coach at Wichita Heights. In fact, Norwood was the first black head coach in Wichita. At Heights, Norwood coached standouts Darnell Valentine and Antoine Carr. At the end of the 1977 season, Valentine’s senior year, Heights won the state championship. That same year Heights finished with a 28-3 record and ranked fourth in the nation. After the 1977 season, Norwood joined Ted Owens’ staff at the University of Kansas and remained an assistant coach four years. The Jayhawks won the Big Eight title two of those years. A year after leaving KU, Norwood joined the faculty of Johnson County Community College. He was head basketball coach nine years and is the winningest basketball coach in JCCC history. He is in his 11th season as golf coach at JCCC. In 1994, Norwood received the Outstanding Tiger Alumni Award from Cowley. Norwood lives in Lawrence.

Coach's Bio

Lafayette Norwood

Head Golf Coach
Southwestern College
11th Season

[email protected] 

Under the leadership of Lafayette Norwood, the Johnson County Community College men’s golf program has steadily progressed and is now a force to be reckoned with in both the Jayhawk Conference and the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).


Now in his 11th season as head coach of the Cavaliers golf program, Norwood has already set a standard of excellence that is unmatched by his predecessors. Norwood has led the Cavaliers to seven straight berths in the NJCAA National Tournament, a first-time achievement for the Cavaliers golf program.

In the 1995-96 campaign, Norwood led JCCC to their first NJCAA berth in 24 years, finishing 24th nationally. A year later, the Cavaliers received their first national ranking, holding down the 19th spot in the final poll of the season. Two weeks later, the JCCC linksters improved one spot, finishing 18th at Alta Mesa Country Club in Chandler, Ariz. The Cavaliers fired a team total of 1,230, a per player average of 76 per round, marking their best performance in a national tournament. In 1999, the Cavaliers nearly knocked off national power Dodge City to win the district championship then followed with an 18th-place finish at the NJCAA Championship. 

The 1999-2000 season was one of the best ever in program history. JCCC won three tournaments, including a first-ever district championship, bettering conference champion Butler County by two strokes. The team followed with a 13th-place finish at the NJCAA Championship, the best in JCCC history.

Two years ago, JCCC made a charge in the second half to battle Dodge City for the conference championship. JCCC won two two tournaments, and finished runner-up in another. The Cavaliers finished with 29.5 points, just 2.5 behind Dodge City. JCCC went on to place third in the district and 18th at the NJCAA Championship.

Last year was the crowning moment of the Norwood era. The Cavaliers, led by a record six all-conference performers, captured the program’s first Jayhawk Conference title. They followed with a runner-up finish at districts and a 14th-place finish at nationals, second-best all-time at JCCC. 

Overall, Norwood has amassed an overall record of of 796-421. Last season, his squad recorded a record of 121-22, the best season in his 10 years at JCCC. In addition, the Cavaliers won a record five tournaments. Norwood-led teams have won 15 tournaments overall.

The list of individual honors won at JCCC under Norwood is just as impressive and includes 28 All-Jayhawk Conference selections. Among those is two-time, first-team pick Kirk Schneider, who set a school record with 43 points during the 1994-95 campaign. Schneider closed out the season with a 67th-place finish at nationals. Another is Scott McCoy, who two seasons ago became the first individual from JCCC win the conference point title. McCoy finished with 39.5 points. He also set 18-hole and 36-hole scoring records at JCCC. Last season saw the emergence of Chris McGown, who finished third in the standings and registered a stroke average of 75.8, No. 2 all-time at JCCC.

Other players who have had success in the conference and at nationals are Steve Priest and Keith Early. Priest led the Cavaliers in 1997-98. He won one tournament, finished runner-up twice, garnered all-conference honors and placed 55th at nationals, the third highest finish in the program’s history. Early became JCCC’s first player to earn first-team all-conference honors in 1993. One year later, he became the first two-time, all-conference selection, again earning first-team honors. He closed out his career with a 78th-place national finish. 

Norwood’s devotion to his student-athletes’ success off the course is just as important to their success on it. During his six years, he has had a number of his student-athletes receive academic honors for posting grade point averages above 3.0. In 1997, Norwood had his first student-athlete recognized as a NJCAA Academic All-American, when Mike Maskill closed out his collegiate career at JCCC with a grade point above 3.6. McGown is on pace to become JCCC’s second golfer to earn Academic All-American. 

Norwood’s duties have not always been just limited to the golf team. He also served as JCCC’s men’s basketball head coach for nine seasons (1982-91), compiling a 146-136 career record. During his nine seasons, he coached one NJCAA All-American, four All-Region VI performers and 18 East Jayhawk All-Conference performers. One of his former players, Tony Harris, went on to play in the NBA.

Before coming to JCCC, Norwood was an assistant basketball coach to Ted Owens at the University of Kansas. In his four years at KU (1977-81), the Jayhawks won two Big Eight championships. Before his stint at KU, Norwood established himself as one of the top prep coaches in Kansas, with an extremely successful eight-year tenure at Wichita Heights High School. He led his teams to a 112-56 record and three city championships. His 1976-77 team was undefeated and won the 6-A state title. That title enabled Norwood to share with coaching legend Ralph Miller, the distinction of being the only two people in Kansas history to have played on and coached a men’s basketball state championship team. Two of his former players at Wichita Heights, Darnell Valentine and Antoine Carr, went on to prominent careers in the NBA. 

In addition to his basketball duties, Norwood also coached the Wichita Heights men’s and women’s golf teams, a position he held for seven years. Norwood led his men’s team to the state tournament three times. One of his former players, Brad Demo, is the head golf professional at Alvamar in Lawrence, Kan. 

Norwood attended Arkansas City Junior College (now Cowley County Community College), where he was two-time NJCAA All-American in basketball. He later transferred to Southwestern College, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education. After graduation, he earned his master’s degree in education at Wichita State University. In 1995, Southwestern College elected Norwood into its Hall of Fame.

He and his wife, Betty, have been married 48 years and have three children: Fayetta, 47; Corey, 37; and Seth, 34.