Norm Evans was there!

From: Mike Keyes
Sent: Thursday, February 05, 2009 4:42 PM
Subject: Norm Evans

I worked with Norm In Miami in the early to mid 1970's at the R. L. Blue Co., Blue, Lovett, Keyes Co., a long time ago.

I remember he gave me a book he had written with a little something written inside, that has long since disappeared, to bad the book was very enjoyable.

I remember a man that was full of joy.

Tell him hi for me and if he has a chance drop me a note, I wonder if he remembers.

Mike Keyes LIC

From: Wimmer, John
Sent: Wednesday, May 28, 2008 10:06 PM
Subject: Great Story Mr. Evans

What a great Testamony Mr. Evans, God has truly blessed you & your wonderful Family. I wanted to say thank you for all of the memories of the 1970’s when you played for the Miami Dolphins. I was a 12 year old kid watching the Dolphins & you run over people, in my opinion, Miami is the best Team of all time, you guys as a team did incredible things as a unit. The way the dolphins won, Furness, as well as muscle, skill, what is amazing to me Norm, The dolphins have received the least praise and credit for what you guys did. All the records, 17-0 Three back to back superbowls, almost four. God bless you and this is a honor to talk to you. I recently sent Mike Kolen an e-mail, I hope to here from you both, you were the best. Thank you, John Wimmer

Seahawks

by Doug Thiel
Sunrise Publishing Inc.

NO ONE on the Seahawk team speaks with more confidence, more self-assuredness conviction than Norm Evans. He’s also played ball longer than anyone else on the roster. This, his fourteenth year, includes the championship years at Miami where he played on three Super Bowl teams and two Pro teams. He also is the uncontested team leader, the man who is respected beyond all others, partially for what he does so well, but even more for what he epitomizes—a total sense of human quality.

“I think that this team is characterized by quality of life that some of the players live. Like salt on your hamburger. It flavors the whole attitude of the team. I’m talking about Steve Largent, Jim Zorn, Ron Coder, Sherman Smith, Geoff Reece, Doug Long, and others.

“These guys have a quality of life, by that I mean a Christian quality of life, and their beliefs and their commitment to God and to play in a way that is pleasing to God has an impact on the public view of this whole team and the character that people see.

“These guys are dedicated not just because they want to be great athletes or are encouraged by the fans, but by the fact that God has given them all the ability they have, and they want to maximize that.

“A lot of people may not be able to understand and grasp that, but that’s really the key, I believe, as to why these guys are the way that they are.”

THERE is no question about Norm’s conviction or his sense of caring about everyone on the team. He sees the team in a way that is different from the view of anyone else particularly in his ability to compare this club with the one he played for so long—the Miami Dolphins.

More Important Than Any Super Bowl Or Anything Else

Source: www.ipriority.com
by Norm Evans

I started my football career in Donna, Texas, a little town that is 500 miles south of Dallas. Then I went off to Texas Christian University. I dreamed about getting a tryout in the pros, but didn't think I had much of a chance because I had had a lot of injuries.

At that time the college draft selections were published in the newspaper. I remember getting up one Sunday morning and looking down the list to see whom I recognized. Several of my teammates had been drafted, one by Green Bay and another by somebody else. I was like, "Wow, this is so great."

I got down to the 14th round under the Houston Oilers, and there was my name. I couldn't believe it. I started celebrating. My wife came running in, and I said, "I've been drafted by the Oilers." I went off to the Oilers, and then got traded in the expansion draft to the Miami Dolphins. It wasn't such a good deal in those early days to be a Miami Dolphin. I can recall when we got a standing ovation for two first downs in a row.

I work now with an organization called Pro Athletes Outreach. We do leadership-training conferences for professional athletes. Folks don't understand a lot about what goes on behind the scenes in pro sports. For example, most don't realize that the average career is 3.2 years. It's very short. You hear about people like Dan Marino who played for 17 years, but most don't. I was fortunate enough to play for 14 years.

About seven years into my career, it dawned on me that I couldn't do this forever. I decided that I'd better get ready for the day when I couldn't play ball anymore. So while in Miami, I got my real estate license. It was about 1974 when there were partially completed, deserted buildings all over the place. And I went, "Hmm. This isn't going to work too good."

I went back to school and got my land sales license. Now, you'd think even an offensive lineman could figure out if buildings weren't selling, land wasn't going to be doing too well either. But I missed that somehow. I decided that I needed something with stability. So I went back to school again and got my insurance license. I had more licenses than I knew what to do with.

A lot of what we do is to prepare for tomorrow. I decided it might be really helpful if I could check out some of the winners that I knew and see what they did. I started observing some of the winners that I knew, people like Jim Easly, Benny Leprad or Don Shula.

These men were coaches that I had had, and as I reflect on it, every one of them had a positive impact on my life. But Don Shula, in particular, is a remarkable character. He is winningest coach in the history of the National Football League, over 320 victories. He had two losing seasons out of about 34 or 35 years in the NFL.

I began to study him in particular. I thought, "If I could watch this guy and figure out what it is he gets across to his teams and apply it to my own life, maybe it would help me win."

He set records in the NFL winning by running his team and throwing the ball. That's dynamic leadership. So, I tried to figure out, "What is it that he gets across year after year to his teams?" The key ingredient in succeeding that I learned from Don Shula is desire. I'm talking about the stuff that reaches down and takes hold in your life. If I'm committed to the right things, it makes a difference inside.

When I got shipped off to Seattle, we had a guy who was an example of commitment. Al Hunter was not a big guy. Actually, the only big thing about him was his feet. He had size thirteen feet. They called him hot feet. This guy could run. Al Hunter had an incredible positive attitude based on commitment.

If you're really sold out to something, no matter what, you just keep going for it. That's the way Al Hunter was. I'll never forget the time the lowly Seahawks had to play the mighty Pittsburgh Steelers when they were winning the Super Bowl about every other year. They were intimidating guys.

We discovered that they liked to take their middle line backer, a guy named Jack Lambert and key him on the quick back. That just means that anywhere Al Hunter went, Jack Lambert would mirror him. And it was Lambert's job when Hunter crossed the line of scrimmage to nail him. So, we designed a play to isolate Lambert. To make sure the play worked, we decided to pull our right guard. Any time a lineman pulls out like that, it leaves a hole in the line that somebody has to fill. Usually, another lineman does that. But on this play, it became Al Hunter's job to block the left tackle of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mean Joe Green.

Mean Joe Green was 6'6" and 286 pounds. Al Hunter was 5'10" at 165 pounds. Hunter goes running up in there to carry out his assignment. He hits Joe Green and bounces off. Joe didn't even know anybody tried to block him. We look around. There's Al Hunter, out like a light. We picked him up, carried him to the sideline, and lay him on a bench. The minute he woke up, he ran over to our head coach. He said, "Hey, coach, that play don't work too good."

Our coach understood commitment too. He realized that little things make a big difference. That's true in sports. He said, "Hunter, if you'll lower your block, that play will work."

If you're really committed, you'll be resilient. Though sometimes in life, you get flattened. And if you just lay there, life will pass you by. Or the game will.

But there's Hunter ready to go again. There's nothing in the world that makes good defensive tackles any more upset than for some skinny little running back to knock them down in front of 80,000 people. Hunter went running in there and cut the legs out from under Joe Green. And down Joe went. Joe looked around to see who blocked him. There was Hunter out cold again. Commitment. It's an important ingredient in succeeding.

When I got traded from the Houston Oilers to the Miami Dolphins, a remarkable thing happened to me. My wife and I came early for a little Florida vacation. One night, we were looking for the late movie on television. We were flipping the selector back and forth when we came to a local talk show. They were interviewing a man who was speaking locally. The next night, my wife and I got in our car and went to go hear him talk.

He talked about stuff I already knew. He said," Norm, God loves you." I've known that all my life. It's what I learned as a little kid. "For God so loved the world, He gave His only son that whosoever believed in Him should not perish but have eternal life, John 3:16."

But what I began to learn that night was that God so loved Norm Evans that He gave His only Son. God, the Creator of the universe who spoke countless galaxies into perfect precision throughout the entire universe, that Creator knew my name and knew my needs. And not only does He know my name and know my needs, but He loves me just like I am. No strings attached. He just says, "I love you."

The fellow said, "Norm, the Creator of the universe who not only knows your name, knows your needs and loves you just like you are, wants to have a vital, living, personal relationship with you." This creator of the universe, His name is Jesus, wanted to have this relationship with me.

I remember thinking when I got that scholarship to TCU, that when I got that degree, I'd have it made. I believe in education. But if you take education and try to fill the God void in your life, there's still going to be that emptiness. I got my degree before I went to training camp for the pros. If I made it in the NFL, I'd have the world by the tail. I'd have it made for sure. And I made it.

If you try to take your career and fill the God void in your life, you're still going to have emptiness. When I signed that contract for $10,000 with the Houston Oilers, and got a $1,000 bonus, I thought I was rich.

We went down and bought a brand new Chevy Supersport. I remember driving home, going down the street looking at myself in the store windows. New apartment, nice clothes, but things never filled the God void in my life. Relationships. Lovely wife. People cannot fill a God void in your life. That night, this guy said, "God wants to have a relationship with you." I had tried everything else. Here I was a pro athlete. I had reached my goals, but I still felt like there's got to be more to life than this.

That night I said a very simple prayer. It went something like this. "God, these people say that I can have a relationship with You. And here I thought I had been committed to You all my life. God, I don't understand why You would love me so much You would commit Your Son to a cross for me. And I want to receive Him. And I thank You for loving me that much." It was simple. There wasn't any big flash. What I felt was relief.

I left with a sense of, now I don't have to try to pull this off on my own. That began something that's been so remarkable that it's alive and flourishing, and even more alive today than it was back in 1966. The man said, "There's some things you really ought to do to make it flourish. First of all, you ought to talk to God." I said, "I know about that. That's prayer." So, I started talking to God. He said, "Secondly, you need to be involved in a fellowship where others talking about God."

He said the third thing you need to do is tell others about your faith. I said, "Hold it. You want me to go into the NFL locker room and talk about Jesus? I hear His name there a lot, but never in a very positive light." He said, "Relax. Talk to your family." I said, "No, not the family. Let me go back to the locker room. I'd much rather go to the locker room than my family." He said, "Do you have a pet?" I said, "Yeah, we've got a little dachshund, Stubby." He said, "Talk to your pet."

So, I started talking to Stubby. He never called me a religious freak or anything like that. He just kind of liked the attention. Then the man said, "There's a fourth thing you ought to do, read the manufacturer's manual."

He said, "In football, don't you have a play book?" I said, "Yeah, as a matter of fact, we do." If you didn't learn the book, no job. You're out of there. If you lost the book, you had to pay the fine.

What has to happen to receive an inheritance? Somebody dies. Jesus died to make this book, the Bible, a living reality. You know what I did? I began reading it. I was amazed at what I discovered in it. The first thing I discovered was that I could know for sure I was forgiven.

As a biology major, one of my favorite characters was the hermit crab. Hermits take somebody else's shell or whatever, and pile all the garbage on their back. And that's their house. I was like a hermit crab in the bottom of the ocean; with all this garbage that I knew I'd done that wasn't good. I dragged it around with me. Then I discovered in the Bible that God would forgive me.

I walked out of there that night knowing for certain, based on what God has said and what Jesus has done, that I was forgiven. According to 1 John 1:9, we can count on God's forgiveness and cleansing. What I discovered was the pardon of God. I read a little bit further. And I discovered the peace of God.

In the NFL, life can be rather stressful. I'm from Texas. But I'm playing for Seattle. And I'm a blocker. It was my job to block Too Tall Jones when we played the Cowboys. I'd rather beat Dallas than anything. We, the lowly Seahawks, were ahead of the Dallas Cowboys by one touchdown. We were driving for another. I was blocking Too Tall. Then it happened. I felt it. Somebody landed on my knee, and it snapped. I tried to stay in the game. But I couldn't. I had to go to the sidelines.

I tried to look at the scoreboard. I couldn't see it. My eyes were half full of tears. I was terrified. Thirty-four year old tackles don't get well from knee surgery. And then, I remembered what Jesus said in John 14:27, "I give unto you not as the world gives. My peace isn't fragile. So, don't worry. Don't be afraid."

I remember saying, "God, I've never been more afraid in my life. And I'm worried sick. And if I ever needed your peace, I need it right now." And sitting alone in the middle of the King Dome with 65,000 people, I experienced the supernatural peace of God.

Jesus said, "Peace I give unto you not as the world gives." So, I experienced a supernatural peace from God. And I've had that happen over and over again. I know I have the right to peace because it's my inheritance. By the way, I had to go clear to Oregon to find a doctor that finally said no surgery on the knee. Four weeks later, I was playing again. Nobody could believe it.

Not only have I experienced the peace of God, but also the healing of God. I've experienced His pardon. But what got my attention was His passion. For God so loved Norm Evans that He gave His only son. I haven't gotten over that in thirty plus years. I'm still learning more about how much God loves me.

Our son was a great athlete, far better than I ever was. When he was in high school, USA Today said he was one of the top one hundred high school athletes in the United States. He was a defensive lineman and a receiver. Those two just don't mix. And he was the leading receiver and the leading tackler on the team. But he had never caught a touchdown pass. So, the head coach put in a little play so he could get a touchdown his senior year.

And I was the line coach. Ron, our son, runs into the end zone, puts his hands up. They lob him the ball. He catches it. Touchdown. I was more excited than when we won that second Super Bowl in Miami. When he came bounding off the field, he scooped me up, shook me, and threw me down. He walked off and left me lying there. All of a sudden, I'm watching this great big guy walk away from me. And it grips me how much I love my son. I couldn't sacrifice my son for anybody. But God gave His Son for me.

Ron went to college at the University of California in Los Angeles. During his junior year, Ron won the starting defensive tackle job. He was flying high. A day before that first game, I got a call. He said, "Dad, I blew my knee again." I said, "I'll be there as quick as I can." I jumped on a plane and flew down. I walked into the room. And there's this great big strong little boy.

He said, "Dad, my dream is dead." From the time he was a little boy, every Saturday during the season, he'd go with me to practice. He'd run up and down the sidelines and play with the other kids. And he dreamed of some day playing in the NFL. He knew that since this was the third reconstruction on that left knee, he'd never play again. With all my heart, I wanted to take his place. I said, "God, why couldn't it have been me?" The Bible says that God sent His Son to take my place.

We all have choices to make. I believe receiving Jesus was the most important one I ever made. I thank God for the night when somebody gave me the opportunity to say, "Now I want to receive Jesus."

The Bible says sin, going our own way, separates us from God. I knew I was separated. But God took the load and forgave me. But that night in Florida, thank God, I received him. That's been by far the most important thing that ever happened to me, more important than any Super Bowl or anything else.

When a pro football player joins a new team he not only gets a new uniform but he has to paint his son’s helmet.

Source: Pro! The Official Magazine of the National Football League
Seahawks Edition
Detroit vs Seattle
October 24, 1976
By Carolyn Andersen

“Sunday will never be the same.”

As KIRO Radio proudly boasts to over 1,500,000 people in the metropolitan Seattle area, the Seahawks have given new meaning and life to Sundays. While Seattle’s entry into the NFL has brought about many changes in the weekend schedule of local football fans, families of the men who suit up in the silver and blue each Sunday, find it “just another working day.”

Although the public may view the life of a pro athlete as glamorous, few of the wives consider it to be any different than a dozen other professions.

Bobbie Evans, wife of All-Pro tackle Norm, considers her life as the wife of a pro athlete much the same as life in the military. After visiting Army bases in Germany last February where the Evans shared their ideas and religious beliefs with service personnel, Bobbie became very aware of the similarities.

Norm and Bobbie were married right out of high school after having gone together since the seventh grade. While Norm went to Texas Christian where he was team captain in l964 and made All-southwest Conference as a senior, Bobbie worked as an executive secretary for General Dynamics, After Norm was drafted by Houston on the 14th round in 1965, Bobbie spent one year taking classes at South Texas State College.

lt is no secret to anyone who has read Norm's recent book "On the Line” or “The Total Woman”, that their marriage has not all been bliss.

“I married to escape an unhappy home life,” recalls Bobbie. "But our years while Norm was in college were unhappy too. Probably the only reason we stayed together was because our folks said it wouldn’t last. We’ve stuck it out to prove they were wrong."

In 1966 Norm joined the Miami Dolphins in their inaugural year. Bobbie heard a man in St. Petersburg, Florida, discuss his relationship with God and how it began changing his life. She met the author of “The Total Woman”. Bobby began to practice what she was learning from Mrs. Morgan’s concepts of marriage and women, and discovered that it was not only saving her marriage but making her a new person.

Today, Bobbie is one of 100 teachers of The Total Woman classes being conducted throughout the country and is also a much sought-after speaker for both women’s and men's organizations. In addition to sharing The Total Woman ideas on marriage, she talks freely about her personal priorities, goals and self-worth.

Because she is widely read and studied in organizing time she found that life in Miami afforded her time with her family and also an opportunity to teach at least two classes per week and make several additional speaking engagements. "My family does come first though – they will not eat sandwiches or TV dinners so that I can speak."

As for living in the Northwest, the Evans have found it very desirable. They are currently making their home in a Bellevue townhouse, but have considered house hunting and moving from their Hollywood, Florida, home to the Seattle area.

Fourteen-year-old Deana is playing soccer at school and is very active in the youth group at the family church in Bellevue. Nine-year-old Ronnie is also playing soccer for the first time and loves it.

Since Bobbie is new to the Northwest, her speaking schedule is just getting underway again. She taught her first Total Woman class this week on Mercer Island. Along with her devotion to helping people help themselves, she also enjoys playing tennis, attending Bible classes and sewing. As if all that were not enough, she is currently considering writing a book.

These and many other Seahawks families now living in the Seattle are part of the reason “Sunday will never be the same.”

The Pocket Book of Pro Football 1976

Edited by Herbert M. Furlow

The team’s strongest segment. All-Pro Norm Evans still likes to play. His being dumped into the expansion pool has caused resentment among the Dolphins. Nick Bebout was the biggest man on the Atlanta offensive line last year, and sometimes started. John Demarie led Cleveland in its upset win over Cincinnati last November. A ten_year man, he can play both guard and center. Fred Hoaglin is a dedicated pro with 11 years. Last season he was the backup center at Houston and played on special teams. Bob Penchion started for the 49ers in 1975.

Life after football: No game, still pain

Source: Seattle Times
Sunday, December 17, 2006 - 12:00 AM
By Greg Bishop
Seattle Times staff reporter

Norm Evans played tackle on the last undefeated team in the NFL, the 1972 Miami Dolphins, and later with the Seahawks. He slept in traction one season after colliding headfirst with a linebacker and lived with "never-ending" neck pain for 30 years until an operation in 2000.

He has an achy back and a sore Achilles tendon and mangled hands he used to throw in the air to avoid contact when his kids ran toward him. Sometimes he wonders: What am I going to be like in 10 years?

"I retired for health reasons," Evans, 64, says.

So it was an easy decision?

"Very easy," Evans quips. "I retired when I still had my health."

Reggie McKenzie played with the Buffalo Bills and the Seahawks, the team he later worked for. One hit splintered the bone off his left femur, and sometimes when he moves, he can feel where it settled in his leg. The knee is bone on bone.

"You don't play 13 years and not have pain," says McKenzie, 56. "I can tell you when it's going to rain before it rains. But that's show business."

"The concern for me is these guys who are weighing 350 pounds," Evans says. "And it's obvious it ain't all muscle. And what it does for your heart to be carrying all that weight around is unbelievable. It's a death trap."

Former linemen worry about the current bunch. Evans runs "Pro Athletes Outreach," an organization that teaches athletes how to become role models, and he knows one player who considered himself fortunate because he didn't have surgery in the sixth offseason as he did in each of the first five.

Even after detailing 30 years of neck pain and other assorted aches, Evans makes it clear he has no issues. His advice to current players? Play until they tear your jersey off. Such is life for offensive linemen, both active and retired. They played hurt. They live hurt. And they would do it all again.

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