Billy Nicks facts for kids
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| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 2, 1905 Griffin, Georgia |
| Died | November 2, 1999 (aged 94) Houston, Texas |
| Playing career | |
| 1920s | Morris Brown |
| Position(s) | End, halfback, punter |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1930–1935 | Morris Brown |
| 1937–1939 | Morris Brown |
| 1941–1942 | Morris Brown |
| 1945–1947 | Prairie View A&M |
| 1948–1951 | Prairie View A&M (assistant) |
| 1952–1965 | Prairie View A&M |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1952–1969 | Prairie View A&M |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 192–60–21 |
| Bowls | 12–4–1 |
| Tournaments | 1–1 (NAIA playoffs) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 6 black college national (1941, 1953–1954, 1958, 1963–1964) 1 SIAC (1941) 7 SWAC (1952–1954, 1958, 1960, 1963–1964) |
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| Awards | |
| NAIA Coach of the Year (1963) | |
| College Football Hall of Fame Inducted in 1999 (profile) |
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William James Nicks (born August 2, 1905 – died November 2, 1999), known as Billy Nicks, was a very successful American football player and coach. He coached at special colleges called historically black colleges (HBCUs) in the southern United States. He coached from 1930 to 1965.
Coach Nicks was the head football coach at Morris Brown College in Georgia for several years. He also coached at Prairie View A&M University in Texas. Throughout his career, his teams won an amazing 192 games, with only 60 losses and 21 ties. In 1963, he was named the NAIA Football Coach of the Year. His teams were named the best "black college football national champions" six times! Billy Nicks was so good that he was added to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1999.
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Coaching Career Highlights
Morris Brown College
Billy Nicks started his coaching career at his old college, Morris Brown College in Atlanta, Georgia. He coached the football team there for many seasons. His teams at Morris Brown had a strong record of 65 wins, 21 losses, and 13 ties. In 1941, his team was recognized as the "Black College National Champions" by a newspaper called Pittsburgh Courier.
Prairie View A&M University
Coach Nicks later became the head coach at Prairie View A&M University in Prairie View, Texas. He coached there for 17 seasons in total. His teams at Prairie View A&M had an incredible record of 126 wins, 36 losses, and 8 ties. This made him the coach with the most wins in the school's history.
Nicks led the Prairie View Panthers to five national championships for black colleges. They also won six titles in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. During his time, many people thought of him as the "Bear Bryant" of HBCU football. His winning percentage was even a little higher than legendary coach Bear Bryant's!
This was partly because, during a time when schools were separated by race, Coach Nicks could attract nearly all the best Black high school players in Texas. His teams were some of the few that could compete strongly against Eddie Robinson's powerful teams from Grambling. Coach Robinson later said he worried about playing Prairie View.
Even when it became harder for HBCUs to get top players, Nicks found ways to keep his teams strong. He worked closely with his former players who had become high school coaches. He would often call them and ask them to send their best young players to Prairie View. After Coach Nicks retired, the Prairie View football team faced many challenges.
Coach Nicks was honored for his amazing career by being inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1999. He is buried in the Houston Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Pearland, Texas.
Images for kids
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Billy Nicks, a legendary football coach.
