Autumn 2007 - British Milers Club

Andy Norman Rememberedby Frank HorwillAndy became an Associate member of the BMC in 1969 and as the then secretary of the Met Police AC asked the BMC toorganise the Dave Prior Memorial Mile for five years when it was withdrawn at the request of Dave’s widow who hadremarried. Andy also invited the BMC to stage an invitation mile race in the Met Police AC championships.As a promoter in South Africa I heard, just before the Commonwealth Games, that he had organised a class 800 in CapeTown. I rang him up to get BMC member Matt Shone into the race. He observed, “He’s Welsh isn’t he?” I replied that hewas and wanted to get a qualifying time to run for Wales. Matt, who was staying with me in South Africa, ran a personalbest of 1:46.6 to make the Welsh team. From 1969 to 1986 I often rang Andy to get my athletes into major races at homeand abroad, he always obliged and they were treated generously.Andy became manager to the British national police team which competed abroad frequently. Every Wednesday, at CrystalPalace, the Met team trained under his supervision for several years.I would visit him every Friday afternoon at Chelsea police station where he was a station sergeant. Our conversations werefrequently interrupted with a constable coming in and announcing, “Andy, a phone call from Sweden” or “a phone call fromNorway”. I deduced from this that he was acting as an agent for athletes and also assisting in the promotion of majormeetings. This was brought to the attention of the Commissioner who asked for his resignation. He later became promotionsofficer to the BAF as well as agent to numerous world-class athletes. An unfortunate taped telephone conversation with asports columnist which was highly publicised led to his exitfrom the BAF, it later went bankrupt.He was a promoter in South Africa for ten years and then leftfor Jamaica to do a similar job.I am greatly indebted to Andy for getting me off a charge! Ihad been attacked in the Portobello Market one eveningwhilst putting a bag of money into a night deposit safe. I wasknocked to the floor, but got up and caught my assailant,who was charged. I then decided that I would, thereafter,carry a police truncheon in my car. Carelessly I left it in mycar outside my Hampstead flat. It was spotted by anobservant police sergeant who charged me with having anoffensive weapon. I phoned Andy for advice, he contacted theprocessing Inspector, who happened to be a leading fieldeventscoach, and the papers were destroyed.Andy did not suffer fools lightly and he did not like greedyathletes and once on the wrong side of him he did not forget.His legacy is that he was the first athlete agent when such aposition was unheard of. He was a self-made promoter to thepoint where no major meeting on the Continent couldmanage without his services.Many who plotted his downfall with the BAF thought his exitwould cleanse the sport. It did not. Others, less capable, wereto replace him. There are many pocket Andy Normanimitators in UK athletics.16 BMC News : Autumn 2007