MORGAN CITY, La. ( KLFY )– Vernon “Tootie” Norwood, was in seventh grade when him and his family moved to Morgan City after Hurricane Katrina.
Norwood would tell then assistant principal Tim Hymel that the change in scenery was great for him.
“Vernon told me in New Orleans he was not hanging around a very good crowd and coming to Morgan City was a good place for him to be,” Hymel recalled.
In his junior year, Norwood went out for track.
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He dazzled head track coach Denver Champan in his first practice
“We was running 3 300s. I told the other guys to keep it at 42 seconds. Vernon, I said, Vernon, you do yours at 45 because you just came from basketball. So when Tootie ran his first 300. He ran in 32 seconds. I say, whoa, I knew he was something special,” Chapman remembered.
Norwood would go on to win championships at South Plains College and LSU. Then he would compete in the Tokyo Olympics. Travis Ray remembers when he got the news about his brother.
“Aw, tears came out. It was all tears and joy, for my family. Yeah, it was all tears and joy, man it was a great moment,” Ray said.
In the Tokyo games, Norwood would be part of Team USA’s gold medal 4×400 meter relay team and anchored the American bronze medal 4×400 mixed relay team, bringing pride to his former high school coach.
“I’m a very passionate man, but I cried because all that work I know he put in the work,” Chapman said.
After the games, Hymel took part in the process that would name the Morgan City High Track into the Vernon “Tootie” Norwood Track.
“Once he won the gold. We knew we had to do something for him. And I said we need to name the track after him. So we went the channels and we did it,” Hymel said.
Norwood is on the 2024 Olympic team; he’s part of the 4×400-meter relay team.
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