Ken Norton Sr. fought Muhammad Ali in 1973, but he didn't want his son Ken Norton Jr. watching it.
Norton Jr., who was 6 in 1973, won three Super Bowl titles -- two with the Dallas Cowboys and one with the San Francisco 49ers -- during his 13-year NFL career and earned a fourth ring as an assistant with the Seattle Seahawks. He is entering his second season as the Oakland Raiders defensive coordinator.
The memories of his father's fights with Ali still resonate with him.
"I remember it like it was yesterday," Norton said this week. "We had to sit around and wait for the news to get back to the hotel. We finally got the news that he had won, that he had broken [Ali's] jaw ... it was one of the most exciting times of my life."
Norton Sr. won the first of three fights against Ali in 1973. He died in 2013 at 70 after a series of strokes. Ali died Friday at 74.
"He and my father became real good friends, competitors that came to respect one another," Norton said. "We were very thankful for the start that he gave us."
Norton Jr. met Ali on a handful of occasions, finding him to be "very kind, very approachable and playful. He used to do magic tricks, showing us how he could levitate off the ground. Always smiling, asking how we were doing. Even now, my sister is best friends with one of his daughters. Our families were intertwined like that."
When Norton Sr. was in a serious auto accident in 1986 and wasn't expected to survive, Ali spent two days visiting with him at the hospital. By the time Norton Sr. died in 2013, Ali, stricken with Parkinson's disease, couldn't speak but reached out to Norton Jr. and family through his wife, Lonnie.
While Ali won the second and third fights, Norton Jr., 49, agrees with several observers that his father won all three fights.
"As great as Ali was, my father was the one guy who was able to stand toe-to-toe with him," Norton Jr. "It's something I'm very proud of."
He said it
From Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times:
• "Outfielder Stone Garrett -- listed as the Miami Marlins' No. 4 minor-league prospect -- suffered a three-stitch slice on his right thumb when a teammate's prank went awry. Veteran seamheads suspect he'll be seeing a steady diet of cut fastballs for a while."
• "Brazilian soccer star Neymar visited the Golden State Warriors' locker room after Game 2. Apparently he wanted to know Draymond Green's secret to avoiding a yellow card when he kicks someone."
• "Kansas' nonconference basketball schedule this upcoming season includes Indiana, Duke and Kentucky. What, weren't the Golden State Warriors available?"
Panda ball
San Francisco Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner recorded the final out of the 2014 World Series when he got Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez to pop out to third baseman Pablo Sandoval in foul territory.
Bumgarner said in a recent interview that he isn't a fan of souvenir baseballs, but wishes he had the baseball from the final out of that World Series.
"Let's hope Panda didn't eat it," Janice Hough of leftcoastsportsbabe.com wrote.
SPORTS QUIZ
What NFL player has won the most Super Bowls?
ANSWER
Charles Haley, with 5. Haley won twice with the San Francisco 49ers and three times with the Dallas Cowboys.
Sports on 06/09/2016