Billy Nicks

Bio

William J. "Billy" Nicks attended Morris Brown High School and Morris Brown College in Atlanta. In college he played end and halfback and was the team punter. He also was on the basketball, baseball and track teams. In 1929, he taught at Washington High School in Atlanta. He moved to Morris Brown College and was head football coach 1930-35, 1937-39, 1941-42. He was principal at Morris Brown High School. His record at Morris Brown was 66-22-13 for 11 years. His 1941 team was named Black College National Champion by the Pittsburgh Courier. In 1943-44 he was USO director at Fort Stewart (Ga.) and then at Tuskegee Army Air Force Base. He went to Prairie View A&M and was head coach in 1945-47, assistant coach 1948-51, head coach again 1952-65. His record for 17 years was 127-39-8. He won eight Southwestern Athletic Conference championships and five Black College National Championships. The national titles were in 1953, 1954, 1958, 1963, and 1964. His career record for 28 years was 193-61-21, a winning percentage of .740. He also served Prairie View as Director of Athletics and in some years coached basketball and baseball and won conference titles. In 1966-73 he was special assistant to the university president. In 1975-84, Nicks was director of parks and recreation for the city of Houston, Texas. Morris Brown College honored him with Billy Nicks Day in 1964. Atlanta did the same in 1982. Prairie View named its athletic complex for him in 1988. He was named Coach of the Year by many groups, notably the NAIA in 1958, the Pittsburgh Courier 1963.