The562’s coverage of Long Beach Poly is sponsored by Bryson Financial.
Generations of Jackrabbits returned home to Long Beach Poly last Saturday to honor one of the school’s most successful and iconic coaches.
Don Norford, or “Papa Don” to those who know him best, spent nearly four decades coaching athletes in the Poly track & field and football programs, winning a staggering 43 combined CIF-SS and State championships while impacting countless lives in the Poly community.
With hundreds of former athletes, coaches, administrators, friends and family members in attendance, the track at Long Beach Poly was officially renamed the Don Norford Track, part of a weekend-long celebration for one of the school’s most beloved figures.
The dedication included an unveiling of the freshly-painted homestretch, which now reads “Don Norford Track”, painted in white letters with green trim along lane 3. There will also be a plaque engraved with images of Papa Don and his late wife Carol, informing future generations of the impact they both made at Poly.
“When you look at my name, you see your name there. When you look at that plaque, you see your plaque,” Norford told the crowd during his speech. “When you tell your children and generations to come, tell them ‘I was part of that’ … I want to thank you for coming here and honoring me and Carol, and my family. Thank you so much. And thank you to all the people that made this happen, all of you are very important people in my life and I’ll never forget this.”
Long Beach mayor Rex Richardson was among the speakers who paid tribute to Coach Norford, and read an official proclamation establishing March 1, 2025 as “Coach Don Norford Day” in the city of Long Beach.
“As mayor, when I travel the city, when I go around the country, people know the legacy of Long Beach Poly High School,” Richardson said in his speech. “This is an incredible legacy that is recognized, and it needs to continue to be recognized, because I believe that we need to give our flowers where people can enjoy them. And so I’m honored that the school district has come together, and all the organizers have come together to name and recognize this track.”
There was a long list of former Poly track and football athletes in attendance, including household names like Willie McGinest, Marcedes Lewis, Dee Andrews, Mark Carrier, Darnell Bing, Randall Morris, Travon Patterson, and others.
One of the first speakers was Jerry Jaso, who was the head coach for the Poly football program in 1996 when Coach Norford was named the NFL’s High School Coach of the Year. Norford remains the only assistant coach to ever receive that distinguished honor, and Jaso spoke to his abilities as a coach, going beyond just the X’s and O’s.
“I remember thinking, watching him as a young guy, that this guy knows what he’s doing–and it wasn’t just about football, it was about the way he dealt with people,” Jaso said of Norford. “I think everybody loves to say the old cliché, to treat everybody the same, but that’s totally not true. He tried to treat everybody equally, but you had to treat everybody for the person they are and recognize the differences. And Don was a genius at that.”
Track star Andrea Anderson spoke on behalf of the women who ran for Coach Norford, and the impact he made on their lives as athletes and beyond.
“Don, you are amazing. You are a leader. You are a legacy. You are an icon. You are a father figure. You are everything, not only to the football players, but to all the ladies that came through your program,” Anderson said. “You instilled in us a quiet confidence that we still carry with us today. We are here to support you. We are here to show you our love. We are here to share with you that what you taught us will never be forgotten.”
The event concluded with the first 4×100 relay on the newly dedicated track, with a quartet of former Trackrabbit stars–Darrell Rideaux, Shalonda Solomon, Jasmine Lee, and Kareem Kelly–passing a baton around the oval. After his anchor leg, Kelly passed the baton to Papa Don, who was smiling from ear to ear.
Poly alum and former NFL defensive back Chuckie Miller was a main organizer of the event, and offered a heartfelt tribute to Coach Norford and to Carol.
“Coach and Mrs. Norford, you both poured so much into all of us. Your legacy isn’t just in the records broken or championships won. It’s in the men and women who walked this track and left better because of you guys,” Miller said. “And now this track will forever carry your name, a reminder to every young athlete who steps foot here that greatness isn’t just given, it’s earned. Through hard work, through dedication, and through the kind of coaching and mentorship that changes lives.”
At the conclusion of his speech, Mayor Richardson looked ahead to the 2028 Olympic Games, set to be hosted in Los Angeles and right here in Long Beach. He hopes that these stories, and local figures like Don Norford, will be part of the story of LA28.
“When we talk about bringing hundreds of thousands of people here, what story are they going to tell? How are we going to inspire future generations? They need to know about the legacy of Don Norford,” Richardson said. “These are public school kids growing up in the community, seeing that they can go off and shape the whole world and influence the world. So there’s something in the soil here at Long Beach Poly, and here in the city of Long Beach.”
