Bruce Norris

Who was Bruce Norris?

Bruce Arthur Norris was owner of the Detroit Red Wings from 1952 to 1982. He was the son of James E. Norris and half-brother of James D. Norris. Members of the Norris family owned the Red Wings for almost fifty years before selling the franchise to Mike Ilitch in 1982. Bruce and Marguerite Norris inherited the Detroit Red Wings from James E. Norris Sr. who died on December 4, 1952. Marguerite Norris was named President. After winning the Stanley Cup in 1955 Bruce bought out his sister Marguerite shares to become the sole owner of the Red Wings. He was later elected the chairman of the National Hockey League's Board of Governors. Bruce Norris was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1969, joining his father and brother. Bruce Norris name was engraved on the Stanley Cup as a Vice President in 1952, 1954, 1955.

Bruce Norris served as an Ensign with the United States Navy in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Bruce Norris married Naoma Donnelley on June 28, 1947. The couple divorced in 1949. He remarried in 1958 to Patricia Anne Shephard. That marriage ended in divorce and in 1967 he married the former Mrs. Armene Lamson Clark of Seattle. They divorced in 1970.