Education
A native of Cresco, Iowa, Nichols attended the University of Michigan to wrestle under legendary wrestling coach, Cliff Keen.
A native of Cresco, Iowa, Nichols attended the University of Michigan to wrestle under legendary wrestling coach, Cliff Keen.
He built the Iowa State Cyclones into a national wrestling power. He interrupted his college studies to serve in the United States. Army Air Corps in World World War World War II After the war, he received a master"s degree at the University of Illinois and a doctorate at Michigan. He later became a wrestling coach, described by The New York Times as "one of college wrestling"s most successful and respected coaches." Nichols began his coaching career in 1948 at Arkansas State University, compiling a 37-18-3 record in five years.
In 1954, he became the coach at Iowa State University, where he remained as coach for 32 years.
In 37 years as a college wrestling coach, Nichols compiled a record of 492-93-14. He became Iowa State"s coach in 1954, and his first Cyclone team went 8-0.
He remained the coach at Iowa State until 1985, and built Iowa State into a national wrestling powerhouse. In 32 years at Iowa State, his Cyclone teams were 456-75-11 and placed among the top three teams in the country 26 times, winning six National Collegiate Athletic Association team championships, and finishing second 11 times and third 9 times.
From 1957-1983, the Cyclones only once finished lower than fourth place in the national meet.
Nichols" pupil Dan Gable went on to coach wrestling at the University of Iowa for 21 years. Nichols retired in 1985. Nichols was considered to be "ahead of his time concerning race relations," and was a pioneer in bringing minorities into college wrestling, including African Americans, Hispanics and Cubans.
Nichols was known as "Nick" to the wrestling world.
In addition to wrestling, Nichols had a passion for collecting pottery. In 1983, he appeared on Late Night with David Letterman with a seven-foot-tall vase from his collection, considered one of the world"s largest.
Nichols died in February 1997 at age 79 in Ames, Iowa.