Former coach, teammate of Tolbert and Norman share in excitement for Super Bowl 50

Despite enjoying the comforts of home, Perry Parks expects to have butterflies the size of eagles come Sunday evening.

“I’m getting a bit nervous right now just thinking about it,” said the former Coastal Carolina football standout, who starred for the Chanticleers from 2003-06.

It has been nearly a decade since Parks fastened his chinstrap and ran onto the field as a competitor, though doing so these days as head football coach at Ridge View High School just outside of Columbia. But as a pair of Coastal Carolina football alums – Mike Tolbert and Josh Norman – jog from the tunnel onto the Levi’s Stadium turf for Super Bowl 50, it will be as if he was there with them.

“I’m so proud of them, this is just so surreal to be honest,” Parks said. “Honestly, the NFL was nothing any of us really had thought about. We were just a couple of guys who loved and wanted to play football, and wanted to represent our school to the best of our abilities.

“But to make it to the biggest game of them all, it’s really a testament to their hard work and dedication.”

The Underdog

A native of Douglasville, Ga., Tolbert was largely overlooked as he prepared to graduate from high school. Standing at 5-9 and round as a bowling ball, the main thing that stood out to former Coastal Carolina and current River Bluff High School football coach David Bennett was the power with which Tolbert ran.

“Not many wanted him,” Bennett said. “We were looking for players to help take our football program to the next level, anyone that was hungry and wanting to help build something great. It just happened that (Tolbert) wound up being one of those guys.”

His career spanning from 2004-07, Tolbert rushed for 1,670 yards and 21 touchdowns. Still, that was not enough to spark the interest of many professional football clubs.

“A lot of what I heard was, ‘we’re not in the business for a 5-8 fullback,’” the former Coastal Carolina coach said. “But one day while scouts were in to look at Jerome (Simpson), they got a good look at him, and saw what he was about. While many scouts were still not interested, at least one felt strongly about his potential.

“The Chargers scout present winked, asked me not to tell anyone they wanted him, and the rest is history.”

San Diego did eventually pick up Tolbert as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He has rushed for nearly 2,300 yards and 33 touchdowns in eight NFL seasons.

“No one drafted him, and now he is an all-pro,” Bennett said. “Keeping with the narrative, he may be the best dancer on the (Panthers). Few will remember this, but he actually won a dance contest as a freshman.

Humble roots

While Tolbert was an afterthought to most schools, Bennett said Norman received more than his share of scholarship offers.

However, the kid from Greenwood instead opted to head toward the water, choosing to attend Horry-Georgetown Technical College and sleep on his brother’s couch.

“Josh qualified and all, but he had a goal in mind and knew how he wanted to accomplish it,” Bennett said.

After a short tenure at Horry-Georgetown Technical College, Norman became an All-Big South performer known for his ability to bait quarterbacks into making mistakes.

According to the former Coastal Carolina head man, much of that can be credited to his time as a theatre major.

“The football field became his stage,” Bennett said. “There were times where Josh would take a dive or act like he is slipping, just so quarterbacks would throw his way because he was so good.

“Golly, it was kind of hard to get mad at him when those things used to happen, especially when some of them worked. He’s so into his role, he’s a whole different person.”

For this reason, Norman’s ascent to becoming one of the NFL’s top defensive backs didn’t suprise him – nor did his ability to change into character as “Batman” during his infamous spat with New York Giants’ wide receiver Odell Beckham.

“What else can I say, when Josh is in character he’s all the way in,” Bennett said. “It just happened that when he saw Beckham, he saw his superhero enemy – ‘The Joker.’ But I also know this, that if they were teammates, they’d be the best of buddies.”

Class personified

Though a pair of small town guys that have made quite an imprint in the big city, the humility with which both possess is what makes Tolbert and Norman who they are.

“They are a bunch of nice, sweet guys,” Bennett said. “While on the field, they are as serious as they come, outside the lines they are extremely playful and loving. Mostly, they are a pair of normal guys that have been blessed with talent, normal guys with a big heart.”

Parks gives much credit to his coach at Coastal Carolina for having the wherewithal to give the two of them an opportunity to showcase their talents.

“Though I’m a Coastal guy, to have two of our guys in this game is huge,” he said. “There are two other big schools in this state, Clemson and South Carolina. I don’t know if either of them have as many representing them as we do. That is a testament to what Bennett was able to do here, and what he was able to accomplish.

“(Bennett) got kids to buy in when we did not have a football field, much less a field house. He’s a big reason for what they have accomplished and continue to accomplish as men.”

Both Parks and Bennett will be intently watching every minute of Super Bowl 50 from their respective homes in the Midlands. While one of them will be quite nervous, the other simply is hoping his former pupils are able to create a memory worth a lifetime.

“Honestly, I want them to win, but this game is only a small piece in this game called life,” Bennett said. “The Super Bowl is only a piece of the cake, with a championship ring a part of the puzzle. But neither of them will be able to take that ring to heaven, all it will be is a memory of a game, a season that they’ll cherish.”

As for Parks, he’ll be clad in the jersey of his good friend and former teammate, while donning the hat of his alma mater.

“Simply put, this is something I will remember for a lifetime,” he said. “You never know when someone who is as close as family will be this close to realizing one of their dreams.”

This story was originally published February 4, 2016 at 10:08 AM with the headline "Former coach, teammate of Tolbert and Norman share in excitement for Super Bowl 50."