Norwood Vann
Encyclopedia
Norwood Vann is a retired American football
player from the mid 1980s who played 5 NFL
seasons with the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Raiders in the early 1980s.
Pirates, in his Senior year, Vann started at tight end and earned the team's "Clutch Player Award".
(181 picks before Carl Lewis
), Vann played five NFL seasons as a backup and special teams linebacker, tying for the league lead in safeties in his 1984 rookie year, with 1. Vann recovered 7 fumbles over his 4 years with the Rams, and then became a Los Angeles Raider in 1988. He played one game for the Raiders, and later was involved in the Buffalo Bills
organization but did not play a game for the Bills.
, Gary Jeter
, and Dennis Harrah
. Following Jeter's segment, Vann's verse went: "This is limousine Woody, my moves are like dreams, they call me the demon on the special teams. I know how to rock from the toes to the head, when I pull the trigger, I'll knock you dead", leading into Dennis Harrah
's "Mountain Man"-themed verse.
Vann, possibly due to his athletic dance moves, was also featured prominently as one of the five players in the front line during the "Ram It" chorus segments, alongside NFL Hall of Famer
Eric Dickerson
, 4-time Pro Bowl
er Nolan Cromwell
, and 2-time Pro Bowl
ers David "Big Daddy" Hill
and LeRoy Irvin
, all players with considerably longer and more successful NFL careers than Vann.
for the Toronto Argonauts
for several seasons, before retiring and returning to East Carolina to complete his undergraduate degree in Communications in 1995.
In 1999, following the completion of his playing career, college teammate Reggie Branch
compared some of his Washington Redskins
Super Bowl-winning teammates to those at East Carolina, mentioning Vann specifically by name.
In 1999, Vann was also inducted into the East Carolina Pirates
hall of fame.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player from the mid 1980s who played 5 NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
seasons with the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Raiders in the early 1980s.
College
A member of the famed 1983 East CarolinaEast Carolina University
East Carolina University is a public, coeducational, engaged doctoral/research university located in Greenville, North Carolina, United States. Named East Carolina University by statute and commonly known as ECU or East Carolina, the university is the largest institution of higher learning in...
Pirates, in his Senior year, Vann started at tight end and earned the team's "Clutch Player Award".
Pro career
Drafted in the 10th round with the 253rd pick of the 1984 NFL Draft1984 NFL Draft
The 1984 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held May 1-2, 1984. No teams elected to claim any players in the regular supplemental draft that...
(181 picks before Carl Lewis
Carl Lewis
Frederick Carlton "Carl" Lewis is an American former track and field athlete, who won 10 Olympic medals including 9 gold, and 10 World Championships medals, of which 8 were gold. His career spanned from 1979 when he first achieved a world ranking to 1996 when he last won an Olympic title and...
), Vann played five NFL seasons as a backup and special teams linebacker, tying for the league lead in safeties in his 1984 rookie year, with 1. Vann recovered 7 fumbles over his 4 years with the Rams, and then became a Los Angeles Raider in 1988. He played one game for the Raiders, and later was involved in the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
organization but did not play a game for the Bills.
Ram It
During his professional career, Vann is perhaps most notable for his energetic appearance in the LA Rams promotional video "Ram It" by "The Rammers", in which he is one of the first five featured soloists, along with Jackie Slater, Nolan CromwellNolan Cromwell
Nolan Neil Cromwell is the wide receiver coach for the St. Louis Rams. He was an All-Pro safety for the Los Angeles Rams of the NFL and was the offensive coordinator at Texas A&M University. Cromwell played for the Rams from 1977 through 1987 and was named to the Pro Bowl in four consecutive...
, Gary Jeter
Gary Jeter
Gary Michael Jeter is a former professional American football defensive end in the National Football League...
, and Dennis Harrah
Dennis Harrah
Dennis Wayne Harrah is a former NFL Offensive Lineman who played 13 seasons in the National Football League for Los Angeles Rams. He played college football for the University of Miami.- University of Miami :...
. Following Jeter's segment, Vann's verse went: "This is limousine Woody, my moves are like dreams, they call me the demon on the special teams. I know how to rock from the toes to the head, when I pull the trigger, I'll knock you dead", leading into Dennis Harrah
Dennis Harrah
Dennis Wayne Harrah is a former NFL Offensive Lineman who played 13 seasons in the National Football League for Los Angeles Rams. He played college football for the University of Miami.- University of Miami :...
's "Mountain Man"-themed verse.
Vann, possibly due to his athletic dance moves, was also featured prominently as one of the five players in the front line during the "Ram It" chorus segments, alongside NFL Hall of Famer
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
Eric Dickerson
Eric Dickerson
Eric Demetric Dickerson is a former professional running back in the National Football League who in his career played for the Los Angeles Rams, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Raiders, and Atlanta Falcons.-College career:...
, 4-time Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
er Nolan Cromwell
Nolan Cromwell
Nolan Neil Cromwell is the wide receiver coach for the St. Louis Rams. He was an All-Pro safety for the Los Angeles Rams of the NFL and was the offensive coordinator at Texas A&M University. Cromwell played for the Rams from 1977 through 1987 and was named to the Pro Bowl in four consecutive...
, and 2-time Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
ers David "Big Daddy" Hill
David Hill (tight end)
David Earl Hill is a former professional American football tight end in the National Football League. He played for twelve seasons for the Detroit Lions and the Los Angeles Rams. He was selected to two Pro Bowls while playing for the Lions...
and LeRoy Irvin
Leroy Irvin
Leroy Irvin was a member of the Los Angeles Rams from 1980 to 1989. He played cornerback. He played in the Pro Bowl in 1985 and 1986. He currently holds the record for most punt return yards in a single game against the Atlanta Falcons in 1981. Irvin is one of only a few players in NFL history...
, all players with considerably longer and more successful NFL careers than Vann.
Post-NFL
Following his release from the Bills organization, Vann played in the CFLCanadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
for the Toronto Argonauts
Toronto Argonauts
The Toronto Argonauts are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League. The Toronto, Ontario based team was founded in 1873 and is one of the oldest existing professional sports teams in North America, after the Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta...
for several seasons, before retiring and returning to East Carolina to complete his undergraduate degree in Communications in 1995.
In 1999, following the completion of his playing career, college teammate Reggie Branch
Reggie Branch
Reginald Etoy Branch is a former American football running back in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins. He played college football at West Virginia State University and East Carolina University....
compared some of his Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
Super Bowl-winning teammates to those at East Carolina, mentioning Vann specifically by name.
In 1999, Vann was also inducted into the East Carolina Pirates
East Carolina University
East Carolina University is a public, coeducational, engaged doctoral/research university located in Greenville, North Carolina, United States. Named East Carolina University by statute and commonly known as ECU or East Carolina, the university is the largest institution of higher learning in...
hall of fame.