Pettis Norman, one of the first great Cowboys from the 1960s, a Civil Rights advocate who became one of the most influential players in team history, passed away this week at the age of 86.
Norman played for the Cowboys from 1962-70 as a tight end. His final game with the team was a Super Bowl V loss to the Colts. Norman went on to play three more years with the Chargers for a 12-year NFL career.
Norman caught 124 passes with the Cowboys, including 15 touchdowns. He's one of just three tight ends in team history to have an average over 13.0 yards per catch with at least 100 career receptions.
But his efforts on the field didn't come close to matching the impact Norman made off the field.
Norman was often credited as one of the more outspoken African-American players who helped knock down racial barriers from the 1960's, both within the locker room but also in the Dallas community.
Norman was one of the players who helped convince head coach Tom Landry to change the way the hotel rooms were distributed for road games, no longer assigning them by race.
"I tried to do whatever I could do help change the kinds of things that society had operated under for such a long time," Norman said.
