Mike Norvell ’05, ’07 was hired as Florida State University’s 11th head football coach in December 2019.
“I’m humbled and honored for the opportunity to be the head coach at Florida State University, one of the iconic brands in college football,” Norvell said. “I’m so very excited for the future and the opportunity to return Florida State football to one of the nation’s elite. I’m looking forward to hitting the ground running, putting together a great signing class, a tremendous coaching staff, and joining arms with our current and former players to help elevate our football program each and every day.”
Norvell was a four-year letter winner at the University of Central Arkansas and still holds the university record of career receptions (213) and ranks fifth in career receiving yards (2,611). He was inducted into the UCA Sports Hall of Fame in 2015.
Norvell earned a Bachelor of Science in Education in 2005 and a Master of Science in 2007 at UCA. His wife, Maria, earned a Bachelor of Science in 2003 at UCA. The couple has a daughter, Mila.
Norvell began his coaching career as a graduate assistant for the UCA football team in 2006. Since then, he has served as an assistant coach for the University of Tulsa, University of Pittsburgh and Arizona State University. In his first head coaching position, Norvell spent four seasons with the Memphis Tigers. His .717 winning percentage is the highest in Memphis history and ranks 10th among active coaches with at least four years of experience in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. He led Memphis to be the first university to compete in three consecutive American Athletic Conference Championship Games, making him one of 12 head coaches to ever do so. He is also one of only seven head coaches to achieve these feats in the first four years of being head coach.
“I am so pleased that Coach Norvell will be leading our football program,” Florida State President John Thrasher said. “Everyone we spoke with regarding Coach Norvell agreed that he is one of the top coaches in the country. That fact is clear just based on the opportunities he already has on the table. It became clear to us during the interviews that Coach Norvell is the right person to lead our program back to a championship.”
Current UCA student-athletes reap the benefits from a generous donation the Norvell family made to UCA Athletics. Established in 2016, the Mike and Maria Norvell Nutrition Center features healthy meals, snacks and drinks available to UCA student-athletes from all varsity teams. The center is located in UCA’s Strength and Conditioning/Indoor Facility.