Heather Van Norman, Odell Beckham Jr.’s mother is a former college track athlete and field coach. Her athletic career started at Louisiana State University where she is known to have won the All-American titles 6 consecutive times (1989-1995).
While Heather is known for her career feat, she is also recognized as the celebrity mother of Odell Beckham Jr., a 32-year-old American football star who has played for teams like New York Giants, Cleveland Browns, and Los Angeles Rams.
10 Intriguing Details About Heather Van Norman
1. She Was Born and Raised in Windom Minnesota, USA
Heather Van Norman was born on April 22, 1970, to her parents, Millie and Don Van Norman in Windom Minnesota, USA.
She had her early education at New Orleans high school. The athlete-turned-coach grew up alongside her siblings; Pat Woods, Alan, Mark, and Larry.
She also had a good education and enjoyed being part of sporting activities.
2. Heather Began Her Athletic Career at Louisiana State University
Van Norman attended Louisiana State University where she engaged in track events as a runner. Consequently, she was an All-American track runner at LSU from 1991 to 1993.
She is known to have run for three national championship relay teams, winning the events of indoor and outdoor 4 × 400 m and the outdoor 4 × 100 m relay.
Leaving an indelible mark in the sands of college track events, Heather Van Norman saw the need to impact the upcoming generation. Resultantly, she decided to advance into coaching.
She made her coaching debut with Rice University before joining Georgia Tech, Atlanta, as an assistant coach. Subsequently, her move to the Atlanta team saw her staying there for four years.
In 2002, Van Norman became the head coach piloting the affairs of Tulane University where she groomed spectacular rising athletes.
3. Odell Beckham Jr.’s Mother Found Love at Louisiana State University
Heather Van Norman met Odell Beckham Sr. in 1992 during one of his LSU games where he played as a running back. In the same year the pair met and fell in love, Heather took in.
She found out she was pregnant while she was in the midst of training for the Olympic trials.
The couple welcomed their first child together on November 5, 1992, and that child is who we know today as Odell Cornelious Beckham Jr.
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4. Heather Van Norman Has an Impressive Career Record
As earlier stated, Heather was an athlete in college. During her college career, her exceptional performance helped her team – the Lady Tigers to win five national championships concurrently among other victories.
Regarding her honors, the former athlete took part in NCAA indoor sports and she clinched two NCAA Indoor titles in 1991 and 1993. She also bagged three back-to-back NCAA Outdoor titles still from 1991 to 1993.
At the time she ended her career at LSU, she had pushed the team to win six all-American titles.
5. Her Son, OBJ, Is a Successful American Footballer
The Beckhams are known to be big on sports, for obvious reasons. Firstly, Odell Beckham Sr. was a standout running back at Marshall High School in Marshall, Texas and he further played running back at LSU.
Odell Beckham Jr., on the other hand, is currently an American football wide receiver. He also played college football at LSU, his parent’s alma mater. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft and currently plays for the Los Angeles Rams.
Prior to his NFL draft, he was part of the 2013 Second-Team All-SEC selection with the Louisiana State University Tigers.
6. Her Son Doesn’t Deter When it Comes to Spoiling Her
In the wake of 2019, during the Super Bowl that took place in Atlanta. Odell decided to surprise his greatest fan, his mom. He bought her a car gift as a way of showing her how much she meant to him.
Additionally, he often sends her gifts and does things that make her very happy. On her Instagram page, Heather Van Norman has shared gifts received from Odell including beautiful roses for Valentine’s.
7. Heather Van Norman Married an Olympic Gold Medalist
Although her long-term boyfriend is Odell Beckham Sr, the pair decided to go separate ways along their relationship line.
She is currently married to Derek Mills – a one-time Olympic Gold medalist during the 1996 games. More so, Heather has a daughter with Mills named Jasmyne Mills. Her daughter and second child was born on April 29, 2002.
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8. Her Net Worth is About $1 Million
Most media sources have projected Heather’s net worth at about $1 million. While this figure is widely spread, it has not been verified yet.
Be that as it may, she is likely going to be worth more than the said amount. This is because an average football coach earns between $54,000 and $67,000.
More so, her son has a whopping $40 million net worth according to celebritynetworth.com. Undoubtedly, gifts asides, Heather enjoys some financial benefits from her footballer son.
9. Heather Van Was Featured in the Catching Odell Documentary
The celebrity mother appeared in the 2015 sports documentary; Catching Odell. The one-hour documentary gives a background look into her son’s life off the pitch and his early childhood in Louisiana.
10. Heather Flaunts Her Proud Grandson
On Heather’s Instagram page, there are quite a number of adorable photos of her grandson. The boy was born from her son, Odell’s relationship with Lauren Wood.
In November 2021, Beckham Jr with his partner Lauren Wood announced that they were expecting their first child. The footballer posted to his Instagram on February 23, 2022, that his wife had delivered on February 17 2022 and their son’s name is Zydn.
At the age of 55, Heather has remained a deep sports lover and the number 1 fan of her son, Beckham Jr. Furthermore, she appears to be enjoying the new experience of taking care of her grandchild, Zydn Beckam.
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