Nield Philip Gordon (November 17, 1930 – May 2, 2022) was an American

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

coach, administrator and player. He served as the

athletic director An athletic director (commonly "athletics director" or "AD") is an administrator at many American clubs or institutions, such as colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches an ...

and men's basketball head coach of the

Winthrop Eagles The Winthrop Eagles are the intercollegiate athletics teams that represent Winthrop University, located in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Winthrop's 17 men's and women's teams compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I ...

where he was influential in the development of the sports programs at

Winthrop University Winthrop University is a public university in Rock Hill, South Carolina. It was founded in 1886 by David Bancroft Johnson, who served as the superintendent of Columbia, South Carolina, schools. He received a grant from Robert Charles Winthrop, ...

. Gordon played college basketball for the

Furman Paladins The Furman Paladins are the varsity athletic teams representing Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina, in intercollegiate athletics. Furman competes in NCAA Division I athletics and is one of the smallest NCAA Division I schools in t ...

and was selected in the second round of the

1953 NBA draft The 1953 NBA draft was the seventh annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on April 24, 1953, before the 1953–54 season. In this draft, nine remaining NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college bas ...

by the New York Knicks. He embarked on a coaching career instead of playing professional basketball and spent 30 years at the collegiate level.

College basketball career

Gordon was born in

Brunswick, Maryland Brunswick is a city in southwestern Frederick County, Maryland, United States. The city is located on the north bank of the Potomac River; Loudoun County, Virginia occupies the opposite shore. The population of Brunswick was 7,762 at the 2020 c ...

, and attended Brunswick High School where he graduated in 1947. He started his

playing career at Wingate Junior College (now

Wingate University Wingate University is a private Baptist university with campuses in Wingate, Charlotte, and Hendersonville, North Carolina. It is affiliated with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina ( Southern Baptist Convention). The university enr ...

). He was an

National Junior College Athletic Association The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), founded in 1938, is the governing association of community college, state college and junior college athletics throughout the United States. Currently the NJCAA holds 24 separate regions ...

(NJCAA) all-conference selection in 1950 and 1951, and led the league in scoring during the 1950–51 season. Gordon graduated from Winthrop and joined the

for two seasons where he led the team to a 39–12 record. He averaged 24.3 points per game and earned second-team All-

Southern Conference The Southern Conference (SoCon) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I. Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly k ...

honors as a senior in 1953. His number 27 was retired by the Furman Paladins in 2002.

Coaching career

Gordon was selected by the New York Knicks in the

. He served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

before starting his coaching career. Gordon started his coaching career as head coach of the men's basketball team at

Belmont Abbey College Belmont Abbey College is a private, Catholic liberal arts college in Belmont, North Carolina. It was founded in 1876 by the Benedictine monks of Belmont Abbey. The school is affiliated with the Catholic Church and the Order of Saint Benedict. I ...

during the 1956–57 season. After a one-year stint, he returned to Furman as an assistant coach until he accepted the head coaching position at

Newberry College Newberry College is a private Lutheran college in Newberry, South Carolina. It has 1,250 students. Accreditation Newberry College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) to award ...

in 1962. Gordon led the Indians basketball team from 1963 to 1977. He coached one of the most successful teams in school history during the 1976–77 season as he led the Indians to a 36–1 record and was selected as the NAIA Coach of the Year. Gordon left Newberry in 1977 to join

where he had a year to establish the men's basketball team. He served as the head coach of the Winthrop Eagles men's basketball team from 1978 to 1986. Gordon guided to the team to 25 wins in their inaugural season. He led the Eagles to a 31–8 record during the 1980–81 season and became the third team in

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

collegiate history to win more than 30 games. He amassed a 160–100 record during his eight seasons. Gordon retired as the Eagles head coach after the 1985–86 season. After a brief retirement, Gordon returned to coaching at the high school level in

Upstate South Carolina The Upstate is the region in the westernmost part of South Carolina, United States, also known as the Upcountry, which is the historical term. Although loosely defined among locals, the general definition includes the 10 counties of the commerc ...

Administrative career

While serving as the men's basketball coach, Gordon also served as the

from 1978 to 1985. He played a significant role in the planning and construction of the

Winthrop Coliseum Winthrop Coliseum is a 6,100-seat multi-purpose arena in Rock Hill, South Carolina. It was built in 1982 and is home to the Winthrop University Eagles basketball and volleyball teams. The facility accommodates conventions, trade shows, concerts, ...

. Gordon led the university's transition from the

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic scholarships to its st ...

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athletic ...

. The athletic department also started the

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

, cross country and men's golf programs under his tenure. Gordon founded Camp Chatuga in

Mountain Rest, South Carolina Mountain Rest is an unincorporated community near the Chattooga River in northwestern Oconee County, South Carolina. The community is on South Carolina Highway 28 adjacent to a lake on Taylor Creek. The ZIP Code for Mountain Rest is 29664. The ...

, in 1956 and ran the camp for over 30 years.

Legacy

Gordon was inducted into the

South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame The South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame is an athletics hall of fame in the U.S. state of South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Min ...

in 1978, Furman Athletics Hall of Fame in 1981, NAIA Hall of Fame in 1983, Wingate University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1986, Winthrop University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005, and Newberry College Hall of Fame in 2009.

Death

Gordon died on May 2, 2022, at The Legacy of Anderson independent living community in

Anderson, South Carolina Anderson is a city in and the county seat of Anderson County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 28,106 at the 2020 census, and the city was the center of an urbanized area of 75,702. It is one of the principal cities in the Green ...

, aged 91.

References

External links

College statistics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gordon, Nield 1930 births 2022 deaths American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from Maryland Basketball players from Maryland Belmont Abbey Crusaders men's basketball coaches Forwards (basketball) Furman Paladins men's basketball coaches Furman Paladins men's basketball players High school basketball coaches in South Carolina New York Knicks draft picks Newberry College people People from Brunswick, Maryland Wingate Bulldogs men's basketball players Winthrop Eagles athletic directors Winthrop Eagles men's basketball coaches