Hank Nichols

Hank Nichols
Born	1938 Niagara Falls, New York
Nationality	American
Education	Villanova University (Bachelor's Degree, 1958; Master's Degree) Duke University (Doctorate)
League	NCAA Basketball
Years active	1986-2007

Henry O. "Hammerin' Hank" Nichols (born 1938) was an American college basketball referee and later supervisor of officials. In 2012, he was inducted as a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Nichols is also a member of the Philadelphia Big 5 Hall of Fame, Villanova Athletic Hall of Fame, the Philadelphia Athletic Hall of Fame, the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame, and the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame. He officiated 10 National Collegiate Athletic Association(NCAA)Final Fours, a record 6 NCAA Men's Basketball National Championships, 3 NIT Finals, 2 Olympic Games and 1 European Championships. He was also the first official to work both the NIT and NCAA Championship Basketball Finals in a single year, and the first National Coordinator of Officials. Since 2004, he has worked as an Umpire Observer for Major League Baseball.

Nichols grew up in Niagara Falls, New York. In high school, he attended Bishop Duffy High and lettered in three sports. He earned a scholarship to Villanova University, where he played catcher. He also started on the freshman basketball team.

After graduation, Nichols spent two years in the Marine Corps, followed by three years playing minor league baseball in the Cincinnati Reds organization. In his last season (at age 27), he hit .330 as a player-manager in the Western Carolina League.

In the fall of 1969, while at Duke, Nichols started his officiating career with six freshman Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) basketball games. In 1970, Nichols became assistant professor in the Department of Education and Human Services at Villanova, where he would remain for the next 33 years. He also began officiating varsity games in the ECAC and the ACC.

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