PINELLAS PARK, Fla. -- Herbert Norman, former equipment manager for the New York Mets and the New York Jets, died at his home Wednesday shortly before he was scheduled for a doctor's examination for a severe cough. He was 63.
Norman was equipment manager for the New York Mets' 1973 World Series team and the New York Jets' 1969 Super Bowl team.
His wife Therese Norman said he retired in October 1983 because of ill health.
Norman's alliance with sports came near the end of a 21-year career in the Navy, when he formed friendships with players and management of the New York Yankees. He was listed as a team trainer and took vacation time to accompany the Yankees on goodwill trips to Japan, Mrs. Norman said.
When the Mets were formed in 1962 and George Weiss left the Yankees' front office to become Mets president, Norman went with him.
He was away from the Mets during a five-year stint with A.G. Spalding, the sporting goods manufacturer, when the Miracle Mets won the World Series in 1969 but was back with the club in time for the 1973 pennant.
When the Jets and the Mets both played at Shea Stadium, Norman could handle both jobs, but when the Jets moved their home games to New Jersey, Norman had to end his five-year relationship with the NFL team.
'His eyes went and he couldn't drive,' his wife said. 'When they moved, he couldn't make the trip out there. It was too much, the seasons ran into each other.'
Norman previously had suffered two heart attacks and had undergone dialysis treatment for more than a year.
Mrs. Norman said he returned from a trip in the north with a cough, which they thought was a cold. She said it persisted and a doctor's appointment had been scheduled for Wednesday.
In addition to his wife, Norman's survivors include a son, James Norman of Woodbury, Conn., a daughter, Fances Evancho of Largo, a brother, Howard Sullivan who lives in Maine, and a sister, Olive Klick of New York City.
