Nancy Nichols steps down as head coach of Webber golf program

by Richard Baptist

Babson Park, Fla. (08/21/2020) — After spending the last 31 years at Webber International University, Nancy Nichols has announced that she will be stepping down as the head coach of the Warrior men's and women's golf programs.

The resignation of Coach Nichols, who first came to Webber in 1990 when she was hired as the Warriors' women's volleyball and basketball coach, is effective immediately.

Including her 13 years as athletic director and 28 years as the Head Golf Coach at Webber, Nichols also filled many other positions during her tenure in Babson Park, Florida, including Director of Summer Camps (20 years), Academic Planner (14 years), Women's Basketball Coach (3 years), Assistant to the Academic Advisor (2 years), Women's Volleyball Coach (2 years), Dorm Director (1 year), and Director of Student Activities (1 year).

During Nichols' tenure as the AD at Webber, she developed 11 new athletic programs, and was the guide in building six new athletic facilities. The softball field has been named the Nancy A. Nichols Softball Field in honor of her leadership.

Nichols even served as the president, vice-president and treasurer of the Florida Sun Conference for two years each, and also served the conference in a number of other positions, including sports information director (3 years), eligibility chair (2 years), member of the eligibility committee (8 years), and member of the executive committee (13 years).

"I have been lucky to work and live in one of the most beautiful places with the most caring people possible," said Nichols. "The friendships created with not only my Webber golfers, but with so many Webber alumni is something I will cherish forever. To see so many of the Webber golfers achieve career success out in the business world is exciting. So many of the alumni have been involved in mentoring our current players, and I couldn't be more proud and grateful of them for doing that. I am looking forward to being a spectator this coming year and supporting all of the Webber teams."

Under Nichols, Webber's men's golf team captured three conference championships, including most recently its only Sun Conference title in 2012, and qualified for the NAIA Men's Golf National Championship as a team nine times overall. On the women's side, Webber has sent on two individuals across three national championship appearances.

The following is a list of both the Webber men's and women's golf accomplishments at the conference and national levels under Coach Nichols:

Men's Conference Championships in 2001, 2003 and 2012.

Men's NAIA National Championship team appearances in 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2016.

Men's have also sent individuals to NAIA Nationals in 1996 and 1999.

Women have sent two individuals to NAIA Nationals in 2004, 2005 and 2008.

Webber's current Director of Athletics, Brad Niethammer, said of Nichols, "First I want to personally thank Nancy for my opportunity and start here at Webber. If it wasn't for her and Mr. Rex Yentes, my journey at Webber would have never started. They both trusted me to start a baseball program from scratch and gave me the freedom to run with it. I will always be grateful for their trust and the awesome opportunity. Nancy played a major role in the growth of Webber athletics and the university as a whole. She has served in many different roles during her time. The one thing that stands out to me is her commitment to the student-athlete. I have always heard the most successful coaches say that at the end of the day when your career ends, it will be the relationships and impact a coach had on students that is remembered most by them way more than the wins or losses. I have heard stories from numerous graduates that played for Nancy about the positive impact she made on their lives. From myself and the entire Webber athletic staff, I would like to say thanks for your commitment to Webber athletics and the university, and we all want to wish you the best in the next chapter of your life."

Media Attachments