Mizzou legend Norm Stewart inducted into Hall of Famous Missourians
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
Legendary Mizzou basketball coach Norm Stewart was inducted into the Hall of Famous Missourians on Wednesday.
The induction ceremony began at 1 p.m. in the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City.
Stewart made his mark as one of the most famous Missourians through his illustrious career in the black and gold. It all started when he played both basketball and baseball for the Tigers from 1952 to 1956. When he left Columbia, he pursued a career in professional baseball and basketball, but Missouri was calling his name.
He first returned home to get his master's degree in 1957, while he also served as an assistant basketball coach under Sparky Stalcup, as well as an assistant baseball coach under Hi Simmons. That was his first taste of coaching and there was a lot more to come.
In 1961, Stewart took a job as the head basketball coach at the State College of Iowa, which is now known as the University of Northern Iowa. He spent six years with the Panthers
Following his brief career as a professional athlete, Stewart returned to the University of Missouri in 1957 to earn his master’s degree. In 1961 Stewart and his family moved to Cedar Falls, Iowa, as Norm took over as head basketball coach at the State College Of Iowa (now University of Northern Iowa).
In six seasons, Stewarts’ Panthers compiled a record of 97 wins, 42 losses and two conference championships.
He returned home to coach at the University of Missouri in 1967.
"Stormin' Norman," as he's fondly known, spent 32 years as the head coach at his alma mater. In that time, he led Mizzou to 734 wins, eight Big Eight regular-season titles, six Big Eight post-season tournament championships and 16 NCAA Tournament appearances. He also was named the 1982 UPI National Coach Of The Year and 1994 Associated Press Coach of the Year.
