The University of British Columbia Athletics

Mark Norman's exceptional football career began with an outstanding high school run in Kamloops, where he was a key contributor to the Kamloops Secondary 1981 provincial championship team. He then began his post-secondary career at UBC, where he became a defensive star for some of the Thunderbirds' best teams from 1983 to 1986. Norman's impact at UBC was truly historic, leading him to set and/or currently hold multiple Canada West Conference and UBC records as a defensive back. His single-season records include a Canada West best 13 interceptions, an astonishing five interception touchdowns, and a Canada West record 451 interception return yards. 

Norman's dominance on the field led to numerous accolades. He was named a Canada West All-Star and an All-Canadian in both 1985 and 1986. The peak of his university career came in 1986 when he was awarded the Frank Gnup Memorial Trophy as the Canada West Player of the Year and was the West's nominee for the Hec Crighton Trophy. That same year, he won the national President's Trophy as the CIS Most Outstanding Defensive Player, a fitting tribute as he led Frank Smith's UBC Thunderbirds to a triumphant victory in the 1986 Vanier Cup, marking one of the program's best-ever seasons.

Following his remarkable university career, Norman was drafted in the third round by the Edmonton Eskimos (now Elks) of the CFL. He played five years as a defensive back for the Eskimos, helping them win the Grey Cup in 1987, becoming one of the few British Columbia players to achieve the feat of playing on both a Vanier Cup and a Grey Cup winning team. His lasting legacy was further recognized with his selection to the inaugural class of the Canada West Sports Hall of Fame in 2019 and his induction into the BC Football Hall of Fame in 2022.