Dave Nichol, USC inside wide receivers coach, dies at 45

Dave Nichol, a brand new assistant and longtime school receivers coach who joined USC’s employees simply final December, has died, the varsity introduced Friday. He was 45.

Nichol had been battling most cancers, an individual conversant in his state of affairs informed The Los Angeles Instances. He died Friday in McKinney, Texas, not removed from his hometown of Dallas.

“We’re heartbroken and devastated,” USC coach Lincoln Riley stated in an announcement. “Dave was such an amazing human being and a improbable soccer coach. He completely liked the sport and continually poured his coronary heart and soul into his groups. He shall be dearly missed. My ideas and prayers are together with his household. We, as a program, stay up for taking part in and training for him as we transfer ahead.”

USC introduced on Monday that Nichol had stepped away from this system to take care of a personal medical matter. In his place, offensive analyst Luke Huard had been elevated to inside receivers coach on an interim foundation.

Nichol adopted Riley to USC after spending most of his profession as an assistant coach beneath Mike Leach, the Air Raid aficionado who additionally gave Riley his first teaching job. Nichol started his teaching profession as a scholar assistant beneath Leach at Texas Tech, the place he’d performed as a receiver.

Riley adopted in Nichol’s footsteps as Leach’s scholar assistant quickly after. The 2 would cross paths once more at East Carolina, the place Nichol coached receivers and Riley coached quarterbacks. Ultimately, Nichol would take Riley’s place as offensive coordinator when the coach left for a similar job at Oklahoma in 2015.

Six years later, Riley would name on Nichol to hitch his first USC employees as inside receivers coach.

“Dave was household to us, and he was liked by all who knew him,” Leach stated in an announcement. “At all times a smile on his face, Dave had such a optimistic character, angle and vitality. He made everybody round him a greater individual and impacted everybody he met with kindness, loyalty and friendship. He meant rather a lot to me in addition to numerous others, and I’ll endlessly be grateful to have had him in my life for the final 22 years.”

Nichol is survived by his father, Robert Nichol Sr., and his brothers, Robert Nichol Jr. and Jimmy Nichol, and their households. Info on a memorial service for Nichol continues to be pending.