Pettis Norman, a tight end on the football field and a civil rights advocate off of it, has died. We mourn the passing of former tight end and civil rights advocate Pettis Norman. For more on... pic.twitter.com/brks4HoLq5 — Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) July 8, 2025During his first seven seasons in the NFL, he served in the Texas Army National Guard. And he was at the forefront of civil rights issues in the 1960s, both in the locker room and in the greater Dallas area. "We mourn the passing of former tight end and civil rights advocate Pettis Norman," the Cowboys said Monday.