Hank Nichols

Hank Nichols was a basketball and baseball referee who officiated hoops at the 1976 and 1984 Olympic Games. He had attended Villanova University on a baseball scholarship and played on the freshman basketball team. Nichols later earned an Ed.D. degree from Duke University.

Nichols served as a 1st Lieutenant in the US Marine Corps and played minor league baseball with the Cincinnati Reds organization, then taught junior high school English and coached baseball and basketball. He then began refereeing both sports, eventually officiating six NCAA Basketball Championship Games, 10 Final Fours, and several NIT final games. He was the first official to call both the NCAA Championship and NIT Championship Finals in the same year. Nichols became the first NCAA Coordinator of Officials in 1986, holding that position for 22 years. He was also the Secretary/Rules Editor from 1991-97.

In 2003, Nichols moved up to Major League Baseball, umpiring in MLB for 20 years. He is a member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class, the Villanova Varsity Hall of Fame, the Philadelphia Big 5 Hall of Fame, the Greater Buffalo Hall of Fame, the Greater Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame, and the Pennsylvania Athletic Hall of Fame.