| Wins against Kentucky - 0 | Losses against Kentucky - 3 |
Alma Mater: Indiana Central [1942]
Date Born: September 30, 1919
Date Died: May 23, 1982
Overall Record: 482-274 [29 Seasons]
| Date | Matchup | UK Result | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12/3/1949 | Indiana Central at Kentucky | W | 84 - 61 | - |
| 11/29/1948 | Indiana Central at Kentucky | W | 74 - 38 | - |
| 11/29/1947 | Indiana Central at Kentucky | W | 80 - 41 | - |
Obituary - Indianapolis Star (May 24, 1982)
Ex-Coach Angus Nicoson Dies; Amassed 483 Basketball Wins
Angus J. Nicoson, 62, former athletic director and former basketball coach at Indiana Central University, died Sunday in the Marion County Home.
Mr. Nicoson's name was synonymous with Indiana basketball until he took a sabbatical leave and retired in 1977 for health reasons. He was named to the Helms Foundation and Indiana Basketball halls of fame in 1970.
After three decades at the Southside college, he was the seventh winningest coach in the nation with 483 wins. His record comprised nearly two-thirds of the wins in Indiana Central basketball history.
He coached the Indiana High School All-Stars to 19 victories in 31 games against rival Kentucky high schoolers.
As wins piled up,so did accolades and honors at the high school and college levels. He was named Hoosier College Conference basketball coach of the year seven times, and NAIA District 21 coach of the year three years in a row in the mid-1960s.
He was a member of the Olympics, Amateur Athletic Union and Pan American basketball and International Federation committees. He toured Europe and Russia in 1969 as assistant coach of the United States national basketball team.
Off the court, the man known as "Nick" to many of his colleagues, served on numerous civic organizations and was a board member of several sports-oriented clubs for young people.
"He was a very good coach, a good man personally and a credit to the coaching profession," said Paul D. (Tony) Hinkle, a former Butler University basketball coach and a longtime friend and hardwood foe.
Oscar Robertson, a former superstar of the National Basketball Association and who once played for Mr. Nicoson as an Indiana High School All-Star, called the coach a "tremendous person."
Mr. Nicoson also coached Oscar's brother Bailey Robertson, one of the few blacks on the predominantly white Indiana Central campus at the time.
"He's truly a credit to humanity," Bailey Robertson once said. "He was like a father to me."
Mr. Nicoson also directed budding Hoosier basketball stars such as Terry Dischinger, George McGinnis, Jimmy Rayl, Ron Bonham, Dick and Tom Van Arsdale, Louis Dampier, Billy Keller, Junior Bridgeman, Pete Trgovich and Monte Towe during his All Star coaching career.
He first came to Indiana Central in 1938 as a student and was a member of the Indiana Central basketball team that gained attention in 1942 by winning 16 games without a loss and ranking fifth in the Midwest and ninth in the nation.
After graduation, he taught and coach basketball at Franklin Township High School (now Franklin Central), chalking up 92 victories. He returned in 1947 to Indiana Central as head basketball coach and a physical education instructor. Two years later, he was named athletic director.
He also coached, at one time or another, baseball, football, tennis, cross country and track at ICU, compiling an additional 211 victories.
The gymnasium at Indiana Central was renamed Nicoson Hall in his honor after his retirement.
Mr. Nicoson was a member of University Heights United Methodist Church, Pleasant Masonic Lodge 134. Scottish Rite and Murat Shrine. He also was a member of the Indiana Coaches Association, Indiana Officials Association and National Association of Basketball Coaches.
In March 1977, he received the Honor Award from the National Association of Basketball Coaches at Atlanta, Ga., during the National Collegiate Athletic Association basketball finals. The award is given to coaches with more than 500 victories, a mark Mr. Nicoson achieved in high school and college coaching.
Services will be held at 2:30 p.m. Wednesay in G.H. Herrmann Madison Avenue Funeral Home, where friends may call from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday and from 10 a.m. until services Wednesday.
Survivors include his wife, Bea Nicoson, and two sons, Dan and Terry Nicoson.
