The finale in a three-part series, MSUEagles.com writer Mark Maloney takes an in-depth look at the 2017 inductees into the Morehead State Athletics Hall of Fame. Today he features former football all-star Nick Nighswander.
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"I got to live a dream. And Morehead State helped me live the dream. I don't know how else to say it than that." – Nick Nighswander
Nick Nighswander's dream only got better recently when he was named to the Morehead State Athletic Hall of Fame.
A native of Burgoon, Ohio, Nighswander was a two-time captain of the MSU football team from 1970 through 1973, earning All-Ohio Valley Conference honors as a center his junior and senior seasons.
Morehead State had winning seasons in three of Nighswander's four years and, during his final campaign, he blocked for an offense that scored 34 touchdowns and averaged 331 yards a game. At the same time, he was earning a degree in health, physical education and recreation. He also met his wife, Cheryl, at MSU.
After college, Nighswander signed a free-agent contract with the Buffalo Bills. Used primarily as a long snapper, he played two seasons for a team whose star was one O.J. Simpson.
In Nighswander's rookie season, the Bills made their first playoff appearance.
"It was the only playoff team O.J. was on," Nighswander said. "It was the year after he got 2,000 yards. I guess I was a junior member of The Electric Company."
The Electric Company, of course, blocked for "The Juice."
Nighswander, a shade over 6 feet, played between 230 and 235 pounds with the Bills. He recalls being awed by the size of teammates such as Donnie Green (6-7,272), Dave Foley (6-5, 255), Joe DeLamielleure (6-3, 254), Reggie McKenzie (6-4, 255) and Bruce Jarvis (6-7, 250). And that was in an era before weight training and nutrition became as serious as it is in today's game.
Nighswander was on the 1974 Buffalo "taxi squad" until becoming activated for what was supposed to be a backup role against the Chicago Bears. When the Bills' starter went down, though, Nighswander jumped in. He played opposite Chicago's first-round draft pick – Wally Chambers, out of Eastern Kentucky. Just as they had been matched up in college.
After his two NFL seasons, Nighswander made use of his teaching degree and football background. He served as head coach of Lawrence County High School in 1976 and 1977, then moved to Scott High in Northern Kentucky for seven years.
While at Scott, he scratched an itch to study law by returning to school. He earned a degree from Chase College of Law. He began practicing law in 1984 and has occupied an office in Florence since 1995.
Thinking back on his days at MSU, Nighswander says being named a starter in 1972 still stands out. He remembers beating Eastern Kentucky three times in four years. There was an exciting 35-35 draw on the road against Middle Tennessee State.
He remembers Jake Hallum, his head coach the first two seasons, and successor Roy Terry. Nighswander snapped to an all-OVC quarterback, Dave Schaetzke, and as a senior took note of a skinny freshman named Phil Simms.
All the while, Nighswander was learning lessons that would serve him well down the road.
"Morehead is a great little place in the world because it's got a beautiful campus, it's got great people and it's got a big-school feel but a small hometown atmosphere," he said. "I think it serves the area well. … Dr. (Earl) Bentley was head of the health, physical education and recreation department and he had a lot of nice sayings: 'Look 'em in the eye,' and 'butt 'em,' and 'keep working.' He wasn't a coach, but he had a lot of influence on me. And a lot of other people that had come before me and other people that came after me."
Nighswander experienced only one losing season at MSU, when the Eagles went 3-6-overall and 3-3-1 in the OVC his junior campaign.
"You'd like to win every time at everything you do," he said. "Unfortunately, that doesn't happen. And I think, most of the time, you learn more from your losses than you do your wins – to help you the next time. We were fortunate, when I played at Morehead, that we had three winning seasons
"The biggest thing you learn, at least from sports, is the teamwork and being able to handle a loss, and coming back from a loss," Nighswander said. "I think that's the biggest life lesson because, once you leave school, there's so many ups and downs anyways that maybe if you keep moving you're going to get free or something good's going to happen. You can't sit around … and feel sorry for yourself. You've just got to keep trying."
A prostate cancer survivor, Nighswander will turn 65 – his number with the Bills – on Nov. 3.
He and Cheryl have been married for more than 42 years. They have two grown sons – Corey, who attends Gateway Community College, and Tyler, who is working on a Ph.D. at Indiana University.
Established in 1985, MSU's Athletic Hall of Fame honors former Eagles whose achievements in athletics and as ambassdors of the university have had a positive impact on the university.
Nighswander will be inducted Friday, Oct. 20, along with football defensive back Charles Byrd and soccer forward Rebekah Kendall. The trio also will be recognized the next day, Oct. 21, during MSU's homecoming football game.
"I'm looking at it as a nice gold watch," Nighswander said with a laugh. "But something like this, it's real humbling. That's the main thing, it's humbling. … Because so many other factors come into it. I mean, there are lots of teammates, a lot of friends, family and all that kind of (thing) that any success I had wouldn't have happened but for those things and the Good Lord."
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