Norman was born in Indianapolis, Indiana where he attended Crooked Creek Elementary School and Westlane Junior High. Norman and his family moved to Nashville, Tennessee when he was 12 years of age. While in Nashville Norman attended Whites Creek High School where he was inducted into the National Honor Society.  Throughout his entire high school career he participated in track and field. During freshmen tryouts, he ran a 4.39 second forty yard dash and a 9.6 second one hundred yard dash when qualifying for the team.  His events included the 100 meter dash, 200 meter dash, 400 meter dash, 4 x 100 meter relay, 4 x 200 meter relay and 4 x 400 meter relay. As a freshman he was promoted from the junior varsity squad, to the varsity track squad wherein he obtained the award of High School All American.  His track team won the state championship 3 out of the 4 years that he was in attendance.  During his senior year he was asked to participate on the Music City - Junior Olympic track team, which consisted of the top track athletes from the State of Tennessee.  He was one of the members on the 4 x 100 meter relay and the 4 x 400 meter relay, both of which earned the title of National Champion while the 4 x 400 meter relay set a new national record. Norman graduated with a grade point average within the top 10 of all his classmates.  

Norman earned a full track scholarship and attended the Herf College of Engineering at Memphis State University where in 1991 he graduated with a bachelor of science degree in Electrical Engineering Technology.  He later obtained a Doctor of Jurisprudence (Law Degree) from Indiana University School of Law.