Eric Nichols Signs Contract Extension
August 03, 2015 | Men's Soccer
Seventh-Year Falcon Head Coach Guided BGSU to Championship Match of 2014 MAC Tournament
Bowling Green State University Director of Athletics D. Christopher Kingston has announced that BGSU men's soccer coach Eric Nichols has signed a multi-year contract extension. Nichols' contract now runs through December 31, 2019.
"The men's soccer program is achieving at a very high level, on and off the field, and we are so pleased about this extension for Eric," said Kingston. "His leadership is exactly what we look for in Falcon Head Coaches and we look forward to continued success in the classroom and on the pitch."
Nichols is preparing his seventh season at the helm of the Falcons. Since coming to BG on Feb. 17, 2009, he has built not just a winning team, but a successful program both on and off the pitch. In his first six seasons with the Falcons, Nichols has changed the culture of the program, showing steady improvement each season.
BGSU has an overall record of 44-51-19 since Nichols assumed the helm. After going 3-12-3 in his initial season, Nichols' Falcons have a winning record over the last five years.
The Falcons had an RPI of 184 in the 2008 season, the year before Nichols arrived. Four years later, BGSU finished with an RPI of 99. And, at the conclusion of the 2014 campaign, Nichols and the Falcons were ranked 64th in the nation in the end-of-season RPI.
"I want to thank Chris Kingston and President Mary Ellen Mazey for their continued support of the men's soccer program," said Nichols. "I couldn't be more excited about the direction of our university and the athletic department. Â Couple that with the support we get from our community and our alumni backing and we have the opportunity to do some special things with the soccer program. Â We will continue set our sights very high and build a program that we can all be proud of.
"This community has been wonderful to my family since the day we first arrived and we look forward to calling Bowling Green home for many years to come."
Nichols took over a team that had dropped to the bottom of the Mid-American Conference, and slowly but surely returned the BGSU men's soccer program to relevance in the MAC and the region.
Nichols and the Falcons, after losing 10 seniors off of the 2013 team, were picked to finish fifth in the six-team MAC in the 2014 campaign. But, that '14 team put together one of the most successful seasons in the last few decades. The Falcons went 14-6-1 overall, finishing with a winning record for the first time in 14 years. The overall win total was the program's highest in 17 seasons. BGSU more than doubled the previous season's win total, and the Falcons advanced to the championship match of the MAC Tournament for the first time since 2003.
In the final 2014 NCAA statistics, the Falcons were ranked 30th or better in the country in eight of the 11 team categories kept by the NCAA. The BG offense finished ranked in the top-20 in total goals (14th), total points (15th) and total assists (17th), and most importantly, the Falcons were in the top 20 in winning percentage (20th).
BGSU won five-straight matches late in the season, including a come-from-behind, overtime win over West Virginia in the MAC Tournament semifinals. In the league tourney championship game, the Brown and Orange took a second-half lead over Akron on the Zips' home field, but the hosts battled back for a narrow, 2-1 win. Nevertheless, the message had been sent that BG was back.
In the classroom, the Falcons received the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Team Academic Award for the fifth consecutive season. The award is given to programs that have achieved a minimum team GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
Nichols has worked tirelessly at making Cochrane Stadium an entertaining place to be for soccer fans, as well as a difficult place to play for the road team. BGSU's attendance numbers have steadily increased during his tenure, and the Falcons have had multiple crowds of over 2,000 fill the stadium over the last three seasons, including throngs of 3,126 vs. Ohio State and 2,273 against Michigan in 2013.
Nichols also was instrumental in the Cochrane Stadium lights project, as the Falcons now play nearly all of their matches under the lights, enhancing an already-entertaining game-day atmosphere.
Nichols came to Bowling Green after spending the 2008 season as assistant coach at Davidson College. Prior to that, he was the head men's soccer coach at Ohio Dominican University for four seasons (2004-07). Under his guidance, the Panthers recorded a 59-22-1 (.728) overall mark, including a final ranking of fourth in 2007. That team advanced all the way to the quarterfinals of the NAIA National Tournament.
Prior to heading to ODU, Nichols served as an assistant coach at Ohio Wesleyan University under Jay Martin. During Nichols' four years there, the Battling Bishops compiled a mark of 74-14-3, won four conference championships and advanced to a pair of NCAA Regional Championships and one Final Four.
He is only the fifth head coach in the storied history of the BGSU men's soccer program, which enters its 51st season in 2015. He joins Mickey Cochrane (1965-77), the late Gary Palmisano (1978-92, 1994), Mel Mahler (1993, 1995-2003) and Fred Thompson (2004-08) on that list.
Nichols earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from OSU in 2000. He has taken graduate courses at BGSU.
Nichols and his wife, Marianne, reside in Bowling Green with their three children, Kalen (15), Jordan (12) and Braden (6).
"The men's soccer program is achieving at a very high level, on and off the field, and we are so pleased about this extension for Eric," said Kingston. "His leadership is exactly what we look for in Falcon Head Coaches and we look forward to continued success in the classroom and on the pitch."
Nichols is preparing his seventh season at the helm of the Falcons. Since coming to BG on Feb. 17, 2009, he has built not just a winning team, but a successful program both on and off the pitch. In his first six seasons with the Falcons, Nichols has changed the culture of the program, showing steady improvement each season.
BGSU has an overall record of 44-51-19 since Nichols assumed the helm. After going 3-12-3 in his initial season, Nichols' Falcons have a winning record over the last five years.
The Falcons had an RPI of 184 in the 2008 season, the year before Nichols arrived. Four years later, BGSU finished with an RPI of 99. And, at the conclusion of the 2014 campaign, Nichols and the Falcons were ranked 64th in the nation in the end-of-season RPI.
"I want to thank Chris Kingston and President Mary Ellen Mazey for their continued support of the men's soccer program," said Nichols. "I couldn't be more excited about the direction of our university and the athletic department. Â Couple that with the support we get from our community and our alumni backing and we have the opportunity to do some special things with the soccer program. Â We will continue set our sights very high and build a program that we can all be proud of.
"This community has been wonderful to my family since the day we first arrived and we look forward to calling Bowling Green home for many years to come."
Nichols took over a team that had dropped to the bottom of the Mid-American Conference, and slowly but surely returned the BGSU men's soccer program to relevance in the MAC and the region.
Nichols and the Falcons, after losing 10 seniors off of the 2013 team, were picked to finish fifth in the six-team MAC in the 2014 campaign. But, that '14 team put together one of the most successful seasons in the last few decades. The Falcons went 14-6-1 overall, finishing with a winning record for the first time in 14 years. The overall win total was the program's highest in 17 seasons. BGSU more than doubled the previous season's win total, and the Falcons advanced to the championship match of the MAC Tournament for the first time since 2003.
In the final 2014 NCAA statistics, the Falcons were ranked 30th or better in the country in eight of the 11 team categories kept by the NCAA. The BG offense finished ranked in the top-20 in total goals (14th), total points (15th) and total assists (17th), and most importantly, the Falcons were in the top 20 in winning percentage (20th).
BGSU won five-straight matches late in the season, including a come-from-behind, overtime win over West Virginia in the MAC Tournament semifinals. In the league tourney championship game, the Brown and Orange took a second-half lead over Akron on the Zips' home field, but the hosts battled back for a narrow, 2-1 win. Nevertheless, the message had been sent that BG was back.
In the classroom, the Falcons received the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Team Academic Award for the fifth consecutive season. The award is given to programs that have achieved a minimum team GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
Nichols has worked tirelessly at making Cochrane Stadium an entertaining place to be for soccer fans, as well as a difficult place to play for the road team. BGSU's attendance numbers have steadily increased during his tenure, and the Falcons have had multiple crowds of over 2,000 fill the stadium over the last three seasons, including throngs of 3,126 vs. Ohio State and 2,273 against Michigan in 2013.
Nichols also was instrumental in the Cochrane Stadium lights project, as the Falcons now play nearly all of their matches under the lights, enhancing an already-entertaining game-day atmosphere.
Nichols came to Bowling Green after spending the 2008 season as assistant coach at Davidson College. Prior to that, he was the head men's soccer coach at Ohio Dominican University for four seasons (2004-07). Under his guidance, the Panthers recorded a 59-22-1 (.728) overall mark, including a final ranking of fourth in 2007. That team advanced all the way to the quarterfinals of the NAIA National Tournament.
Prior to heading to ODU, Nichols served as an assistant coach at Ohio Wesleyan University under Jay Martin. During Nichols' four years there, the Battling Bishops compiled a mark of 74-14-3, won four conference championships and advanced to a pair of NCAA Regional Championships and one Final Four.
He is only the fifth head coach in the storied history of the BGSU men's soccer program, which enters its 51st season in 2015. He joins Mickey Cochrane (1965-77), the late Gary Palmisano (1978-92, 1994), Mel Mahler (1993, 1995-2003) and Fred Thompson (2004-08) on that list.
Nichols earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from OSU in 2000. He has taken graduate courses at BGSU.
Nichols and his wife, Marianne, reside in Bowling Green with their three children, Kalen (15), Jordan (12) and Braden (6).
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