Career
McNichol played on Penn"s basketball team from 1914 to 1917. In his junior season in 1915-1916, he was named a consensus All-American by the Helms Athletic Foundation. In both 1915-1916 and 1916-1917 he served as team captain and was a two-time Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League First Team selection.
After his coaching career, he served in the United States Army.
According to a 1919 edition of the Year Book of the Pennsylvania Society, McNichol was a sergeant in the 469th Railroad Engineers for the Army.