Norm Granger

Norm Granger
No. 28, 32
Position: Fullback
Personal information
Date of birth: (1961-09-14) September 14, 1961
Place of birth: Newark, New Jersey
Height: 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight: 225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High school: Newark (NJ) Barringer
College: Iowa
NFL Draft: 1984 / Round: 5 / Pick: 137
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played: 18
Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at PFR

Norman Lance Granger (born September 14, 1961) is a former professional American football fullback in the National Football League, who played for the Dallas Cowboys and the Atlanta Falcons. He played college football for the University of Iowa.

Early years

Granger was born and raised in Newark, New Jersey, where he graduated from Barringer High School as part of the class of 1980,[1] where he was a teammate of future NFL player Andre Tippett. He accepted a scholarship from the University of Iowa.

In his first year he was used returning kickoffs.[2] He became a starter at fullback as a sophomore and contributed to the team reaching the Rose Bowl. That year he returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown against Indiana University.[3] Although blocking wasn't his strength, he had above average running and receiving skills for a fullback.[4]

The next year he posted 352 rushing yards and 260 receiving yards. He also had a 63-yard reception for a touchdown against Indiana University.[5]

As a senior, although he only gained 466 rushing yards, he was still named team co-MVP.[6] He finished his college career with 1,100 rushing yards on 203 attempts (5.5 avg.) and 45 reception for 409 yards.

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys

Granger was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the fifth round (137th overall) of the 1984 NFL Draft.[7] As a rookie he made the team after the retirement of Robert Newhouse and played in 15 games as a special teams player.[8] He was released on August 27, 1985, after he was passed on the depth chart by Todd Fowler.[9]

He was re-signed in 1986, but was placed on the injured reserve list on August 19.[10]

Atlanta Falcons

After the players went on a strike on the third week of the 1987 season, those games were canceled (reducing the 16 game season to 15) and the NFL decided that the games would be played with replacement players. Granger was signed to be a part of the Atlanta Falcons replacement team. He played in three games (1 start), before being released at the end of the strike.

Personal life

In 2014, he recovered the Rose Bowl ring that was stolen from him at the end of his sophomore campaign.[11] He worked as a Black Hawk County Supervisor and as a residential officer in Waterloo, before being named the vice chairman of the Iowa Board of Parole. Norms married in 1985 to Leila VanArsdale Granger and they have three daughters. [12]

References

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