When it comes to embracing the Chaminade experience, Joseph “Joe” Norton ’88 was a triple threat. As an alumnus, faculty member, and parent of alumni, Joe understood the school’s Marianist characteristic of family spirit to the core, which he lived out every day.
Joe first arrived at the school at the beginning of 1985, from New Jersey, by way of Oklahoma. It was the second semester of his freshmen year when ninth graders attended class on the Chatsworth campus. Upon matriculating into tenth grade on the West Hills campus, Joe dove into campus life and joined the football team. He played fullback and linebacker for three years, wearing #49 on his jersey. Though Joe’s high school years did not overlap with his younger brothers Brian ’92, Kevin ’94, and John ’98, all four Norton boys wore #49 while playing football at Chaminade. There was a Norton wearing the #49 for nearly 15 years!
Though Joe enjoyed high school, he never considered becoming a teacher. After graduating from Chaminade in 1988, he studied political science and business administration at the University of San Diego (USD) where he continued to play football through his junior year for the Toreros. While at USD, he also worked as an after-school coordinator, developing activities and projects to keep pre-teens off the streets and out of gangs. This experience is what planted the seeds, yet he still didn’t accept the call to teach.
Career-wise, Joe sought to combine his love of sports with his interest in business. As a college student, he hoped to own a business that focused on athletic products, sports marketing, or athlete development. To pursue this avenue, after graduating from USD, he took a position as a manager at Footlocker, where he learned the operational ins and outs of the company. After a year at Footlocker, he realized this path was not for him. In the fall of 1993, Joe made his way back to Chaminade as an assistant football coach under Varsity Head Coach Rich Lawson.
While coaching that autumn, Joe made his official foray into teaching as a substitute at Chaminade’s middle school. The following year in 1994, he joined the faculty of St. Bernadine’s as a physical education teacher while continuing to coach football at Chaminade. The official move to his alma mater came in the fall of 1995 when Joe began teaching science at the middle school. For the next four years, Joe academically and athletically nurtured Chaminade students at all grade levels until he left for Frost Middle School in 1999. For the next 11 years, Joe taught in the public school system, obtaining his credentials along the way.
Joe returned to the Chaminade faculty in 2010, the same year he began Loyola Marymount’s master’s program in Catholic School Administration. While at Chaminade, he wore many hats, including those of teacher, coach, dean, diversity moderator, and assistant athletic director. Joe was also able to share his love of football with the entire Chaminade community as the announcer at football and basketball games for the past 15 years. If you attended a game on the Deep Blue C, you could hear him shout, “TOUCHDOWWWWWWWWWN CHAMINAAAAAAAAAD!”
In 2015, Joe received the Father Chaminade Award which recognizes faculty who live out the five characteristics of Marianist Education. Rooted in orange and blue, Joe valued all Characteristics of Marianist Education, especially the importance of educating in family spirit. Joe always wore a smile and had great respect for his students, peers, and everyone who encountered him. He would light up a room with his positive attitude and love for Chaminade. In the fall of 2022, Chaminade honored Joe and his entire family with the dedication of the Norton Family Announcer Booth. However, it is the love that Joe poured out, the strength he demonstrated, the laughs he initiated, and the joy he shared that will serve as his legacy at Chaminade and always remain in our hearts.
