USC assistant coach Dave Nichol passes away
USC announced Friday that assistant coach Dave Nichol passed away today in McKinney, Texas. The Trojans hired Nichol this past December as inside wide receivers coach and associate head coach for offense. Head coach Lincoln Riley had announced earlier this week that Nichol was away from the team while focusing on a personal medical matter.
“We are heartbroken and devastated,” said USC football head coach Lincoln Riley in a statement released by the school. “Dave was such a tremendous human being and a fantastic football coach. He absolutely loved the game and constantly poured his heart and soul into his teams. He will be dearly missed. My thoughts and prayers are with his family. We, as a program, look forward to playing and coaching for him as we move forward.”
It’s clear from the outpouring of emotion today, just what kind of person USC and the college coaching community has lost.
Nichol came to USC from Mississippi State, where he coached inside wide receivers the previous two seasons. He’d followed head coach Mike Leach to the Bulldogs, after coaching with him at Washington State from 2016-2019.
Nichol is survived by his father, Robert Nichol Sr., and brothers Robert Nichol Jr. and family, and Jimmy Nichol and family. Nichol was 45 years old.
Top 10
- 1New
Notre Dame DC search
New name emerges
- 2Hot
South Carolina suspension
Flau'Jae Johnson incident results in punishment
- 3
AP Poll Projection
Big shakeup coming to Top 25
- 4
Vanderbilt fined
SEC levies $500k fine
- 5
Jim Knowles
Ohio State DC is on the move
Get the On3 Top 10 to your inbox every morning
By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.
Information regarding a memorial service for Nichol is pending, according to USC. Ryan Kartje of the LA Times reports that, according to a source, Nichol had been battling cancer.
Prior to coaching at Washington State, Nichol worked at East Carolina for four years. He and Riley overlapped during their time there, as well as at Texas Tech. Nichol also coached at Arizona, Texas Tech and was a graduate assistant at Baylor.
He played wide receiver at Texas Tech and attended high school at Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas.
