Norman Maisel grew up in Camp Hill, a small town in central Pennsylvania. He attended West Shore High School, where he lettered in three sports. He attended Gettysburg College, where he majored in psychology and graduated with honors, and earned letters in football, wrestling and track. His first job after college was as a teacher and head football coach at Hallifax High School.

Probably the most influential event in Norm's wrestling career occurred when he returned to Gettysburg to earn advanced degrees, coach freshman football, and act as assistant wrestling coach. The legendary Frank "Sprig" Gardner was the head wrestling coach at Gettysburg, and Norm had the experience of studying wrestling with the master.

Following his year at Gettysburg, Norm became a coach at East Meadow High School, and soon after, he was named head wrestling coach at Amityville High School, a position he held for the next 25 years. During his years at Amityville, his teams had a record of 261 wins, 85 losses, and 2 ties. This record includes 15 League titles, and 3 Section XI Class B titles. During his tenure, there were two state champions, 10 Section XI winners, and 53 individual place winners. Under his reign, 87 wrestlers achieved the title of league champion. Both his first and last teams were undefeated (along with two others).

Norm was chosen League Coach of the Year eight times and Suffolk County Grand Master. The Amityville wrestling room was named after him, and he was recently inducted into the Amityville Sports Hall of Fame.

Norm was instrumental in helping to set up the Town of Babylon youth wrestling program, and he was also very involved in Freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling. Many outstanding high school coaches have come out of Norm's Amityville program - among the best are Steve Gaydosh, the most outstanding wrestling coach in Alabama; Ken Maisel, the coach of University High School in Morgantown, West Virginia, a perennial top ten finisher in the West Virginia State Tournament; Tony Walters, who has built the St. Anthony's program to one of the best in New York State; and Bill Maisel, whose 2003 team won the overall Section XI title. Norm left Amityville in the 1990s to accept a job as athletic academic coordinator at Michigan State University.