James Van Norman (2004) - Southern Miss M-Club Hall of Fame

James Van Norman

Induction:
2004

If Jim Van Norman were here today, sitting at these induction ceremonies, as he did many times in his lifetime, many of you would go up to him and say congratulations and that it was an honor that was long overdue. And you would be right, it is an honor that is long overdue. But I feel sure that Jim Van Norman would tell you that life, like a round of golf, is full of ups and downs, bogeys and birdies and that it is only once you finish the 18th hole that you really know what you have accomplished. Well; Jim I am here to tell everyone tonight in front of all of your friends and family, that what you accomplished in the 18 holes of your life, was several under par and tonight we honor your achievements.
In the infancy of the Southern Miss golf program the resources were few. There weren’t the fancy bags and head covers, the elaborate testing of the clubs and balls, in fact it was bring your own clubs and Coach B.O. Van Hook might give you a ball to use in a match or a round in a tournament. But don’t lose it or you were on your own.
But those who played in the early days of golf at Southern Miss, Hall of Famers like James Stubbs, Charles Gillis, Scotty Bryne, Walter Love III, Robbie Webb, Sam Hall and Doc Roberts didn’t rally know the difference. All they wanted to do was play golf and compete representing Southern Miss. The Southern Miss teams of the mid-1950s that Jim Van Norman was a part of competing against some of the biggest and best school of the era. It was not unusual to see the team line up against the power house teams of the Southeastern and Atlantic Coast Conferences and the major independents of the era and it was not unusual at all to see Southern Miss as a team and Jim van Norman as an individual holding his own and defeating many of the top players of the day.
There aren’t a great deal of statistical information on the players and the teams of that era, but talk to the players that knew him, talk to the ones that played against him and they will tell you that Jim Van Norman could hit it as long off the tee as anyone, launch iron shots out of the fairway like laser beams and possessed a short game second to none. And with a scoring average not far removed from par, amazed his teammates with shots few thought were possible.