By Sylvia Powers
Texas Metro News
For more than a century, the Houston Street Viaduct has connected downtown Dallas with Oak Cliff. Now, supporters of a proposal to rename the historic crossing for Pettis Norman say the bridge could serve another purpose: connecting future generations to a man who devoted his life to bringing people, communities and institutions together.
The Dallas City Council is scheduled to hold a public hearing Sept. 9 on a proposal to rename the Houston Street Bridge, between Zang Boulevard and Young Street, the “Pettis Norman Bridge.”
The proposal has already received the endorsement of the Dallas City Plan Commission. There were no objections from the Street Name Coordinator, the Park and Recreation Department, or Dallas ISD.
The Department of Transportation said an amendment to the Thoroughfare/CBD Plan would be required, and city staff, before registering their approval, noted that waivers are needed for names exceeding 14 characters and for names honoring someone who died within the past two years.
Norman, who died last year at age 86, was known nationally as a tight end for the Dallas Cowboys and San Diego Chargers.
In Dallas, however, his impact extended far beyond football. He was a businessman, banker, real estate investor, education champion, and civic leader who worked across racial, political, and economic lines.
To those who knew him best, naming a bridge in his honor is more than a tribute. It reflects how he lived.
“Anything that’s connective, whether it’s dialogue, a bridge or a program, connected to Pettis Norman just makes a lot of sense to me,” said Calvin Hill, the former Cowboys player who regarded Norman as a teammate and mentor.
Hill, who joined the Cowboys in 1969, said he initially knew Norman through film sessions. He remembered watching Norman block with such power that the rookies were in awe. When the veterans arrived at training camp, however, Hill encountered a man very different from the ferocious player he had seen on film.
Norman encouraged young players to prepare for life beyond professional football. He also introduced Hill to experiences outside his comfort zone, including taking him to his first country and western concert, featuring Charley Pride at the Longhorn Ballroom.
“Pettis was always a guy who used to tell me, ‘You’ve got to expose yourself to things that are different because you may like it,’” Hill recalled.
That commitment to crossing racial and cultural boundaries defined Norman’s public life. During his Cowboys career, he challenged the practice of assigning hotel roommates by race.
According to Tom Dunning, a longtime friend and civic colleague, Norman took the concern directly to head coach Tom Landry, insisting that players who competed as one team should not be separated when they traveled. The Cowboys ultimately ended the practice.
Dunning said Norman used his visibility and the respect he earned as a Cowboy to push for change throughout Dallas.
“The important thing is not that he was a great athlete, but that he was a true bridge builder,” Dunning said. “He used the platform of being a well-known and well-respected member of the Dallas Cowboys to express his concern about how the city was going and how DISD was going. He was looking to make things better, not to criticize.”
Former Dallas ISD Superintendent Michael Hinojosa first knew Norman as one of his childhood football heroes, a dependable player who handled the blocking and made important catches. Years later, Hinojosa worked with him through Dallas Achieves as the district sought to build systems for student success.
“To me, he’s a bridge builder, and he’s just like that Houston Street Viaduct,” Hinojosa said. “He’s the bridge between North and South.”
Hinojosa described Norman as a connector who offered “tough love” and was willing to create what the late congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis called “good trouble.”
Norman, he noted, was also among the few Cowboys players of his era who made his home in the southern sector of Dallas.
A friend and comrade in the movement, Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price called Norman a “renaissance man” whose bridge-building was significant in his entrepreneurial efforts as well as his civic service.
“He built houses. He built businesses. He built relationships. He also bridged the gaps,” Price said. “That was just Pettis Norman.”
Real estate developer Terrence Maiden, CEO of Russell Glen Company, said Norman’s hopes for southern Dallas continue to live on.
“His vision and impact for southern Dallas were very admirable,” Maiden said. “I think his legacy embodies the sort of leadership principles that I look to display daily in my work as a real estate developer and investor.”
Former Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings said the proposed honor recognizes Norman as one of the city’s most important community leaders.
“He represented the very best of Dallas,” Rawlings said. “It’s very appropriate because it’s a bridge that connects two parts of our city, downtown and Oak Cliff, and that’s the type of person he was. He connected people.”
Supporters acknowledge the structure’s history but contend that Norman’s name would add meaning to a landmark built to unite two parts of Dallas. He worked tirelessly to make this city and this world a better place.
The bridge renaming effort is deeply personal for Norman’s widow, Ivette Norman, who began pursuing the honor in March with guidance from former Dallas City Council member Casey Thomas. Mrs. Norman said a street did not seem symbolic enough for a man whose life was devoted to uniting people across race, religion, and politics.
“There was no better way to recognize Pettis other than a bridge,” she said. “The Houston Street Bridge connects the pulse of our city to Oak Cliff. That bridge symbolizes what he did in his life.”
She described her husband as a servant leader who did not ask people to follow behind him. He invited them to work beside him. Even when he led a movement, she said, he wanted the spotlight to shine on everyone involved.
“Through this effort, Pettis is still bringing people together,” she added.
Former Dallas Mayor Michael S. Rawlings agreed.
“Pettis is a truly unique individual who has made a difference in our city on many levels,” said Rawlings. “Not only was he an athletic star that hundreds of thousands looked up to, but he also transformed himself into a successful businessman, breaking color barriers in several professional endeavors.
“But he didn’t stop there. He became a civic leader by partnering with other leaders across the city in Dallas’ attempt to grow minority contracting and minority inclusion through the Dallas Together effort. And he kept working. I called upon him as we assessed our schools’ performance to ensure that the African American community was heard and heard clearly. He did that job with the same sense of excellence he has carried throughout his whole life.”
Many others have weighed in, expressing their support of the bridge renaming. At a City Planning Commission meeting last month, Mrs. Norman was joined by former DART General Manager Victor Burke, businessmen Tom Landry, Jr., and Gunnar Rawlings, former Texas State Representative Helen Giddings, former Dallas City Councilman Casey Thomas, family friend Debra Brown-Sturns, and Texas Metro News Publisher/Editor Cheryl Smith.
Speakers talked about everything from Mr. Norman’s philanthropic support of HBCUs to his mentorship efforts. A graduate of Johnson C. Smith University, he stressed the importance of providing a quality education for youth.
His family also supports the effort. For them, seeing his name on the bridge would bring both pride and responsibility, according to Mrs. Norman.
The couple shared three decades of marriage grounded in faith and service to one another. His three daughters, Sharneen, Sedonna, and Shandra, his grandson Alexander, and his great-grandchild became their shared family.
“We will not simply drive across this bridge with great pride,” Mrs. Norman said. “We will cross it with an even greater sense of responsibility to walk in Pettis’ footsteps, live by the values and blueprint he embodied, and leave this world better than we found it.”
For a man remembered as a human bridge, supporters say the Houston Street Viaduct would be a fitting place for his name and legacy to transcend generations.
