For a football player, Robert Norris ’72 had an unassuming physique. But at 5-10, 170 pounds, number 47 played by the adage of looks can be deceiving. In a 1971 press release former Davidson football coach Dave Fagg said of Norris, “He weighs 170 pounds, but he hits like he weighs 200.”

35 years later, Norris continues to confront large challenges without hesitation. This year’s 2007 Hendrix award winner hails from the town of Statesville, North Carolina and currently resides in Charlotte with his wife Kay and sons Bryan ’10 and Josh. The son of Amos and Doris Norris carries on a tradition of excellence embodied in the Hendrix Award. Presented by the Davidson Athletic Foundation, the award is offered to a former football player who, by lessons learned on the football field, has gone on to success in his chosen profession.

award, has been a shining example, not only for Wildcat football, but for Davidson as a whole. At right linebacker, Norris was a three-year starter for the Wildcats and played on the 1969 Southern Conference Champion team that went to the Tangerine bowl—the only Davidson team to go to a bowl game. On the gridiron, Norris earned respect from his teammates, who named him Captain and Most Valuable Player in his senior campaign, and from the league’s coaches, who named him an All-Southern Conference selection.

Proving himself more than just a number on a jersey, Norris claimed a wealth of recognition via his academic prowess. Norris graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Davidson with Cum Laude honors in Economics.

Accordingly, Norris was inducted into Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Honor Society and Omicron Delta Epsilon National Economics Honor Society, and was also on the list of Who’s Who Among Colleges and Universities. Beyond football and academics, Norris was active on Patterson Court and campus Greek life as president of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity.

Along with receiving the George M. King Academic Award and the Tom Sparrow Award, Norris received the Fuller Memorial Scholarship, given to a football player who combines football and academic excellence (1971).

One of 33 national recipients of the NCAA Post-Graduate Fellowship for Excellence in Academics and Athletics, Norris traveled to UNC-Chapel Hill to earn an MBA and a Law degree in 1976. He was inducted into the Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society (top ten percent, MBA School) and the Order of the Coif (top ten percent, Law School).

In 1976, as a graduate of the Basic and Advanced Courses in Negotiations and Mediation of the Harvard Negotiation Project at Harvard Law School, Norris went on to co-found the law firm of Wishart Norris Henninger and Pittman in Burlington, North Carolina. He has served as Managing Partner for the firm for 31 years. During that time the firm has grown to become one of the 25 largest law firms in North Carolina, with offices in Burlington and Charlotte. Norris has found a niche in the firm with an affinity for business negotiations and structuring of businesses deals to become a trusted adviser for businesses with transactional matters. Last year, among eight lawyers at his firm, peers selected Norris to be recognized as one of “2006 North Carolina Super Lawyers.” A current resident of Charlotte, Norris contributes as a writer to the Greater Charlotte Biz.

Norris has presided as Chair of the Alamance County Area Chamber of Commerce and Chair of the Alamance County Strategic Planning task Force. He co-founded the Foundation Serving Alamance County, and served as Deacon and Elder of First Presbyterian Church in Burlington. This service has not gone without recognition; Norris has received the Alamance County Chamber of Commerce Community Service Award, the Alamance County Bar Association Community Service Award, and is one of the few citizens to have received the Key to the City of Burlington, in recognition of his service to the community.

Since moving to Charlotte he has served as Director of the Lynwood Foundation and Director of NPower, Charlotte Region. Despite his impressive career and consistent service, Norris has remained engaged at Davidson over the last 35 years. Norris has served notably on the Board of Visitors and on the Board of Trustees as a representative for the Charlotte Presbytery. He has also served on the Athletics Policy Committee, Educational Policy Committee, and Campus and Facilities Planning Committee. Norris, founder of the Amos Norris Endowed Scholarship, is also a former board member of the Davidson Athletic Foundation and Annual Fund National Chair.

The Hendrix Award will be presented to Robert Norris on October 20 when Davidson Football takes on Drake. The ceremony will take place between the first and second quarters.