Merritt James Norvell Jr. (February 12, 1941 – October 19, 2020) was an American college athletics administrator. He served as the

athletic director An athletic director (commonly "athletics director" or "AD") is an administrator at many American clubs or institutions, such as colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches an ...

at Michigan State University from 1995 to 1998. Norvell attended Jacksonville High School in Jacksonville, Illinois, were he starred in four sports. He moved on to the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...

, where he played college football for the

Wisconsin Badgers The Wisconsin Badgers are the athletic teams representing the University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin). They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level ( Football Bowl Subdivis ...

as a halfback and was a member of the 1962 Wisconsin Badgers football team that played in the

1963 Rose Bowl The 1963 Rose Bowl was the 49th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California on Tuesday, January 1, at the end of the 1962 season. The top-ranked USC Trojans defeated the Wisconsin Badgers, 42– ...

. Norvell died on October 19, 2020, in Lansing, Michigan. Norvell's son, Jay Norvell, is a football coach and former player.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Norvell, Merritt 1941 births 2020 deaths American football halfbacks Michigan State Spartans athletic directors Wisconsin Badgers football players Sportspeople from Jacksonville, Illinois Players of American football from Illinois African-American college athletic directors in the United States