 Norblad was born in Astoria, Oregon in 1939, and moved with his family to Stayton, Oregon in 1953.After a United States Army discharge in 1958 and a year's study at Georgetown University, Norblad obtained a bachelor's degree in history from the University of Oregon in 1963, and a law degree from the Willamette University in 1965.Norblad's father died in office in 1964, and Norblad considered running for his seat in the United States House of Representatives, however Wendell Wyatt was elected instead.