A versatile athlete equally skilled on the track and on thecourt, Gary Nichols excelled at track and at basketball at Albion.As a freshman, Gary was a national qualifier in the long jump and,as a sophomore, made the All-MIAA team in the triple jump, the longjump, the 200-meter dash, and the 4x100 relay. On the basketballcourt, he was honored as defensive MVP and received All-MIAAhonorable mention recognition as a sophomore. Gary led the 1978NCAA Division III Final Four team in dunks.
Sidelined by a knee injury, Gary missed his junior season inbasketball but as a senior came back to lead the team as aco-captain and leading scorer, averaging 18.4 points per game.Albion’s MVP that year, he was also named to the All-MIAAteam and participated in the All-Tournament Tip-Off Classic.
Gary’s love for basketball continued after he left Albion,as he became a high school coach and led the Austin (Texas) HighSchool basketball team to the state 5A basketball championships in1994. He was named the Texas High School Basketball Coach of theYear in 1994 and had the honor of coaching the TexasMcDonald’s Basketball All-Star Game in 1995. Gary won his300th game as a coach this year in Houston, where he lives with hiswife, Florence Durrett Nichols, ’81, and their children, OnjaMonei and Gary W., Jr.
