Ken Norton Jr.

Ken Norton Jr. was born on September 29, 1966. He currently serves as the linebackers coach for the Washington Commanders. Before coaching, he played linebacker at UCLA and was picked by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 1988 NFL draft.

Norton holds a unique NFL distinction: he’s the only player to win three straight Super Bowls as a regular starter. He did it with the Cowboys (Super Bowls XXVII and XXVIII) and then the San Francisco 49ers (Super Bowl XXIX). Only Darian Kinnard has since matched the three-peat, but Kinnard didn’t appear in any postseason games during that stretch.

After retiring, Norton coached at both the college and pro levels. At UCLA and USC, he was a linebackers coach, briefly adding assistant head coach duties at USC. In the NFL, he’s been a defensive coordinator for the Oakland Raiders and Seattle Seahawks before landing with Washington. He’s the son of the late heavyweight boxing champion Ken Norton.

Norton grew up in California, graduating from Westchester High School, where he played running back and averaged 8.8 yards per carry as a senior. At UCLA (1984–1987), he switched to linebacker. He was part of the 1985 conference championship team and helped the Bruins win four straight bowl games. He led the team with 106 tackles in 1986 and 125 in 1987, finishing sixth in school history with 339 career tackles. In 1987, he was named team defensive MVP, earned first-team All-American honors, and was a Butkus Award finalist. He entered the UCLA Hall of Fame in 1998.

Dallas drafted Norton in the second round in 1988, but a broken thumb kept him on injured reserve most of his rookie year. In 1989, he split time at weakside linebacker with Jesse Solomon. He became a full-time starter in 1990 after Solomon held out and was traded, though a knee injury cost him the final two games. Recovering from knee surgery in 1991, he moved between strongside and middle linebacker before settling in the middle.

By 1992, he was the defense’s leader, posting a team-high 120 tackles as the Cowboys had the league’s top defense and won their first Super Bowl of the decade. No Dallas defender made the Pro Bowl that year. Norton began punching the goal posts or the air after big plays, a tribute to his father’s boxing career. In 1993, he played through a torn biceps, still leading the team with 159 tackles, helping Dallas repeat as champions, and earning his first Pro Bowl selection.

He scored his first career touchdown on a fumble recovery in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XXVII. After the 1993 season, the Cowboys let him walk in free agency, choosing to draft cheaper linebackers under the new salary cap.

Norton signed with the San Francisco 49ers in 1994 and won his third straight Super Bowl that season. He made his second Pro Bowl in 1995 and was named to the NFL All-Pro Team that year. He also played a role in ending Napoleon McCallum’s career: in the 1994 season opener, Norton and Bryant Young tackled McCallum, whose knee bent backward at nearly a 90-degree angle. Norton stayed under McCallum until medical staff arrived. Over 13 NFL seasons, he totaled 12 sacks, 5 interceptions (returned for 127 yards and 2 touchdowns, both in the same 1995 game against the Rams), 13 fumble recoveries for 36 yards, and consecutive Super Bowl wins on different teams—a feat later matched by Deion Sanders, LeGarrette Blount, and Chris Long.

At USC (2004–2009), Norton coached linebackers under Pete Carroll, helping develop future NFL players like Lofa Tatupu, Keith Rivers, Brian Cushing, and Clay Matthews III. In January 2009, he was promoted to assistant head coach for defense.