Nield Gordon
Nield Gordon (1930-2022)
Teams coached: Belmont Abbey Crusaders, Newberry Wolves, Winthrop Eagles
Belmont Abbey record^: 5-10 (.333)
Newberry record^: 248-181 (.578)
Winthrop record^: 160-100 (.615)
Overall record^: 413-291 (.587)
Career Accomplishments:
- NCAA National Championships: 0
- NCAA Tournament Appearances: 0
- NIT Championships: 0
- NIT Appearances: 0
- NAIA Tournament Appearances: 3 (1975, 1976, 1977)
Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):
| 1978-1986 | Winthrop |
| 1963-1977 | Newberry College |
| 1958-1963 | Furman (asst) |
| 1956-1957 | Belmont Abbey (asst) |
Nield Gordon Facts
- Nield P. Gordon
- Born November 17, 1930
- Died May 2, 2022
- Hometown: Brunswick, Maryland
- Alma Mater: Furman University (BA, 1953)
- Graduated from Wingate JC (NC) then played at Furman for two years under head coach Lyles Alley; was second-team All-SoCon in 1953
- Inducted into the Furman Athletics Hall of Fame in 1981 and had his jersey number #27 retired in 2002
- Drafted by New York in 1953 but did not play in the NBA; toured briefly with the Harlem Globetrotters
- Served in the United States Army before starting up his coaching career
- Served as the head coach at Belmont Abbey (NC) – going 5-10 in his lone season there – then returned to Furman to work as an assistant under his former coach Lyles Alley for five seasons
- Hired in 1963 to be the head coach at NAIA Newberry College (SC), serving in that role for 14 seasons
- Went 248-181 overall, turning the program from single-digit win totals in the 1960s to three-straight NAIA Tournament appearances at the end of his tenure (1975-77)
- Inducted into the Newberry College Athletics Hall of Fame in 2009
- Left Newberry in 1977 to become the first-ever head coach at Winthrop College, which had previously been an all-girls school; the Eagles began NAIA competition the following year and Gordon coached the team for eight seasons
- Was 160-100 at the helm, starting the program from scratch with some members of his final Newberry squad
- Also served as Winthrop’s athletic director until 1985; was key in planning and constructing Winthrop Coliseum
- Inducted into the Winthrop Eagles Hall of Fame in 2005
- After retiring from coaching in 1986, Gordon founded and ran Camp Chatuga in Mountain Rest, SC with his daughters
- Gordon passed away suddenly in 2022 at the age of 91
Nield Gordon Coaching Tree
- Jeff Burkhamer (West Florida, Lander, Armstrong State)
^ overall record includes head coaching positions at the NAIA level; Winthrop participated at the NAIA level until 1986
