Norris Drew
Graduating class: 1951
Inducted into Hall of Fame: 2019
Hall of Fame Category: Athlete
In basketball, Norris was the 6th man as a junior on the 1949-50 team that went undefeated and captured the Class B Eastern Massachusetts State Championship. The 5’11” left-handed shooter was primarily a back-up to guards John Hennessy and Lou Shurtleff but when the latter suffered a bad ankle sprain late in the regular season, Norris became a starter and Fairhaven never lost a beat in cruising to a 25-0 record in what most people still call the greatest basketball season in Fairhaven High School history.
The following season Norris teamed with Biff MacLean in Fairhaven’s starting backcourt, and in addition to handing out a bushel of assists, Norris scored 110 points to help the Blues run off 13 consecutive victories to start the season, and he continued to play a key role in what resulted in a 20-1season record, a second consecutive Class B Championship and a New England title.
While Bart Leach deservedly earned most of the headlines, head coach Mel Entin saved plenty of praise for Norris Drew, calling the unheralded but talented guard his VIP – as in Very Important Person. When Leach wasn’t working his magic in the pivot, Norris took over and became the key performer in Fairhaven’s familiar “Figure 8 Offense” where he could drive the lane or pass the ball to an open teammate for an easy layup.
In a 1951 article in the Standard-Times, Don Harrington wrote: “Norris Drew is the kind of ball player who seems to rise to the occasion. He’ll have his rough moments like any guy before he suddenly strikes it rich and then the fun begins. He did it in the Tournament last year as the team’s #1 sub. This year he’s on full time”.
Coach Mel Entin said of Norris Drew, “He iced the New Bedford game for us over there with his late driving. He’s also a reliable man when he steps up to the foul line.” Norris was an “Original Blue” having started out as an 8th grader with Fairhaven standouts Shurtleff, Hennessy and Leach, the latter two who are already members of the Fairhaven High School Hall of Fame.
After high school Norris attended New Bedford Tech and played basketball there for a year before joining the Marine Corps and serving in the Korean War. He returned to Fairhaven in 1954 and lived here for the rest of his life. He assumed a very active role in the Fairhaven Varsity Club and was indispensable as the club’s equipment manager for years. Norris passed away in September 2018.