Johnny Norfleet

Biography

Following the retirement of longtime sailing icon Ken Legler as head coach of the Tufts University sailing programs in the summer of 2023, Tufts Director of Athletics John Morris announced the appointment of Johnny Norfleet as the new Head Sailing Coach. Norfleet comes to Tufts University after a successful tenure at Fordham, where he served as the head coach of the intercollegiate sailing team since 2014. He helped lead the Rams to the team's first-ever appearance at the Intercollegiate College Sailing Association open, team and match race national championships including a program-best seventh place finish in 2017. An decorated sailor of his own, Norfleet is a US Sailing Level 3 Certified Coach, while winning national titles at the US Sailing Team Racing Championship Hinman Trophy in 2016, 2018, and 2019. During his time as an undergraduate at Hobart College, Norfleet was an ICSA All-American skipper while also serving as a captain of the Hobart and William Smith Colleges varsity sailing team in 2012 and 2013. In Coach Norfleet's first season at Tufts in 2023-24, the Jumbo coed team qualified for the Intercollegiate Sailing Association National Championships in Team Racing and Fleet Racing. During the 2024-25 season, Norfleet lead the Jumbos to 10 top 10 finishes and qualified for the Intercollegiate Sailing Association Championships in both Team Racing and Fleet Racing for the second consecutive year.