Gene Nicholson
B. Eugene Nicholson (June 14, 1941 – December 30, 2019) was a former American football coach. He served as the head football coach at the Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania from 1991 to 1998, compiling and record of 64–25–2 and winning the NAIA Division II Football National Championship in 1994. Nicholson began his coaching career in 1964 at Wilmington Area High School in New Wilmington as an assistant under Joe Fusco before succeeding him as head coach in 1967. After two seasons as head coach at Wilmington, Fusco moved on to Westminster College as an assistant under Harold Burry, rejoining Fusco, who was also an assistant to Burry.[1] Nicholson was the head men's golf coach at Westminster for 13 seasons until his retirement in 2013. He was also the head coach of the school's swimming, tennis, wrestling, and track teams.[2]
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 14, 1941 Mullins, South Carolina |
| Died | December 30, 2019 (aged 78) Sharon, Pennsylvania |
| Playing career | |
| Football | |
| 1962–1963 | Slippery Rock |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 1964–1966 | Wilmington Area HS (PA) (assistant) |
| 1967–1968 | Wilmington Area HS (PA) |
| 1969–1971 | Westminster (PA) (assistant) |
| 1972–1990 | Westminster (PA) (DC) |
| 1991–1988 | Westminster (PA) |
| Golf | |
| 2001–2013 | Westminster (PA) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 64–25–2 (college football) |
| Tournaments | Football 9–5 (NAIA playoffs) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| Football 1 NAIA Division II (1994) 2 MSFA Mideast (1994, 1996) | |
| Awards | |
| Football NAIA Division II Coach of the Year (1994) | |
Nicholson was born on June 14, 1941, in Mullins, South Carolina. He spent his childhood in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Germany, and Brentwood, Pennsylvania, graduating in 1959 from Brentwood High School. Nicholson died on December 30, 2019, at Sharon Regional Medical Center in Sharon, Pennsylvania.[3][4]
Head coaching record
College football
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westminster Titans (NAIA Division II independent) (1991–1993) | |||||||||
| 1991 | Westminster | 7–3 | L NAIA Division II First Round | ||||||
| 1992 | Westminster | 10–1 | L NAIA Division II Quarterfinal | ||||||
| 1993 | Westminster | 10–3 | L NAIA Division II Championship | ||||||
| Westminster Titans (Mid-States Football Association) (1994–1997) | |||||||||
| 1994 | Westminster | 12–2 | 4–0 | 1st (MEL) | W NAIA Division II Championship | ||||
| 1995 | Westminster | 4–3–2 | 2–1–1 | (MEL) | |||||
| 1996 | Westminster | 9–3 | 5–1 | T–1st (MEL) | L NAIA Division II Quarterfinal | ||||
| 1997 | Westminster | 9–2 | 5–1 | 2nd (MEL) | L NAIA Division II First Round | ||||
| Westminster Titans (Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference) (1998) | |||||||||
| 1998 | Westminster | 3–8 | 2–7 | 12th | |||||
| Westminster: | 64–25–2 | 18–10–1 | |||||||
| Total: | 64–25–2 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
References
- "Nicholson named Westminster aide". New Castle News. New Castle, Pennsylvania. April 15, 1969. p. 14. Retrieved November 5, 2019 – via Newspapers.com
. - "Gene Nicholson to Step Down as Head Men's Golf Coach". Westminster College. May 13, 2013. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
- "B. Eugene Nicholson Obituary". New Castle News. New Castle, Pennsylvania. January 1, 2020. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
- "Westminster Mourns the Loss of Hall of Fame Coach Gene Nicholson". Holcad. New Wilmington, Pennsylvania. January 1, 2020. Retrieved January 3, 2020.