Well, I reckon most of y’all know about Mike Norvell, the head coach of Florida State Seminoles. Now, you might be wonderin’ what cornrows got to do with him, huh? Let me tell ya, this whole cornrow business started a while back, when he was just a young fella. It was back in them college days, playin’ for Central Arkansas, when he got himself in a bit of a pickle.
Now, I ain’t got much of a fancy education, but what I do know is that Mike Norvell, well, he’s a good coach. But before he started runnin’ things down in Florida, he was just like any other young man out there, lookin’ to make his way in the world. A lot of folks don’t know, but back when he was workin’ with some kids at a camp, things got a bit outta hand. Y’see, he had long hair, and them campers? They was a wild bunch, always jokin’ around.
One day, they told him, “Coach, if we win this here game, you gotta let us braid your hair!” Now, Mike, being the good sport he is, he agreed. Well, lo and behold, them kids won the game! So Mike, true to his word, had to sit down and let them braid his hair into cornrows. Yup, that’s right, cornrows! And let me tell ya, it wasn’t just some silly little thing—no, that photo of him with them cornrows went viral. It was everywhere! People couldn’t stop talkin’ about it, and it stuck with him for a long time.
Now, you might think, “Well, that’s funny, but what does this have to do with anything?” Well, lemme tell you. Sometimes it’s them little moments, them silly things that happen, that make people remember you. And that picture of Mike with them cornrows, well, it became a part of his story. Folks started bringin’ it up, even after he moved on from Memphis to Florida State. That viral photo didn’t just go away; it followed him like a shadow.
So, let’s back up a little. Mike Norvell, he was coachin’ over at Memphis for a while before he landed at Florida State. Now, he took over from Justin Fuente back in 2016, and folks were a bit unsure of what was comin’. But over them four years at Memphis, Mike turned things around. He got that team movin’, and before long, he had a pretty solid reputation. Folks started takin’ notice, and in 2020, he found himself takin’ the reins at Florida State. Big shoes to fill, but Mike’s a man of character. He just kept doin’ his thing.
But here’s the thing, when people talk about Mike Norvell, sure, they talk about his career and the way he handles them boys on the field, but they also talk about that time with the cornrows. Funny how that worked out, huh? A simple little bet, and boom, now it’s a part of history.
In fact, some fans were so into that whole cornrow thing, they even made some bets of their own! One fella promised he’d get himself a tattoo of Mike Norvell from his college days, if he could lead Florida State to a win over the North Carolina Tar Heels. And sure enough, Mike came through, and that tattoo deal went down. Ain’t that something?
Now, I don’t know much about tattoos and all that, but I reckon folks in the city like them things. Down here, we just keep it simple. But back to Mike, he don’t let things like that go to his head. He stays focused on his team, his job, and his family. Speaking of which, him and his wife, Maria, they got themselves a daughter. A little family in the middle of all the hustle and bustle of football.
In the end, though, it’s them funny little stories like this that make folks remember you. I mean, sure, Mike Norvell’s done a lot in his coaching career, and he’s still got a long way to go. But every now and then, it’s nice to laugh about a time when he had them cornrows in his hair, just like one of the kids from that camp. It’s them little memories that make life a little sweeter, don’t ya think?
So, if you ever see a picture of Mike Norvell with them cornrows, don’t just think about the football coach. Think about the man who kept his word and gave folks somethin’ to laugh about. Sometimes, it’s them little moments that stick with ya the longest.
Tags:[Mike Norvell, Cornrows, Florida State Seminoles, FSU Football, Coach Mike Norvell, Cornrow Story, College Football, Florida State Coach, Mike Norvell Biography]