CHARLESTON, W.Va. - The University of Charleston community mourns the loss of long-time Athletic Director Tom Nozica.  Nozica passed away Wednesday night after a short battle with cancer.  

He had been UC's baseball coach since 1969, and its athletic director for the past 13 years. "Noz" recently announced his retirement as Athletic Director, but had intended to continue as baseball coach for the 2012 season.  He will be sorely missed by generations of UC fans and student-athletes.  

Please add your remembrance to our Facebook Memorial to Tom Nozica.

"Tom Nozica has coached at UC since 1969 and may be the longest serving coach in all of Division II athletics." stated university president Dr. Edwin Welch.

"He is part of the fabric of the University of Charleston.  He shaped and guided the athletics program of the University and, more important, he helped shape the lives of countless athletes.  He epitomized our commitment to preparing students to be successful graduates, contributing citizens, and individuals of high character and personal value.  He will be greatly missed."

Coach Nozica's visitation has been set for 6:00 - 9:00 pm on Sunday, Oct. 9. Funeral services will be held at Appalachian Power Park on Monday, Oct. 10 beginning at 11:00 am.



Article by Chuck McGill - Charleston Daily Mail

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- During his 43 years as the University of Charleston baseball coach, Tom Nozica collected countless containers of Kiwi shoe polish.

"In baseball training, in practice, we would have to go through certain drills and assignments," Jeff Barnes, a former UC player and now a successful advertising executive, recalled Thursday morning. "If you failed to perform then you owed him a bottle of Kiwi shoe polish.
"Back in the day, it was very important to him that his players had freshly polished cleats. Our cleats were black, so whenever we would make a mistake he would yell, 'Kiwi!'"

Nozica, a native of Powhatan Point, Ohio, began coaching at the school in 1969 when it was Morris Harvey College. In addition to leading the baseball program, he had stints as the men's soccer coach and athletic director.

He died at a Charleston hospital early Thursday after a short battle with what a UC spokesperson called a very aggressive form of lung cancer.
Nozica was 69.

Nozica is survived by his wife, Nancy; daughter, Anne; son, J.T.; and granddaughter, Krisana. Visitation will be Sunday from 6-9 p.m. at the UC Rotunda in Riggleman Hall, with the funeral service following at 11 a.m. Monday at Appalachian Power Park.

Nozica's casket will stand at home plate. The service will be on the diamond that his team has called home since the East End ballpark opened in 2005.

Nozica made official this summer his plans to step down as UC's athletic director at the end of the calendar year. And although he wanted to remain as the school's baseball coach, he said at the time, "You have to take a step back and kind of survey where you're at and where you want to go and how long you have to get there."

That statement was made on July 19. Nozica started experiencing pain in his right shoulder about 10 days ago. An MRI discovered cancer and Nozica's health deteriorated "extremely rapidly," according to one UC athletic department member.

Nozica had bladder cancer in 2000, but it was discovered early and treated, allowing him to return to the baseball program after a three-week absence.

Barnes, who was a part of the Class of 1981 and was one of six players Nozica had selected in the Major League Draft, said the coach "was probably, other than my father, the most instrumental man in my life."

"He was a person of tremendous integrity, character, values and honesty," said Barnes, who was drafted by the Texas Rangers. "Over the last 43 years he touched the lives of over a thousand student-athletes and the impact that he made on my life is, without question, unprecedented.

"He wanted to win games, winning was very important to him, but helping you go from a young man to an adult, helping to shape and determine your character as a person was first and foremost."

Nozica compiled a record of 652-868-6 as UC's baseball coach, leading the program to West Virginia Conference championships in 1972, 1981 and 1990. He was the conference's Coach of the Year in 1987 and 1990.

He coached baseball for two seasons at Howard University in Washington, D.C., before moving to what was then Morris Harvey College. He started in coaching as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, Ohio State - a 1964 graduate -- and got his first full-time job at Muskingum (Ohio) College.

Nozica was hired to double as the school's baseball and men's soccer coach in 1969, but the soccer program was scrapped in 1982 (for four years) and he focused his career on baseball. He was the school's athletic director for 13 years.

"The University of Charleston community is deeply saddened by the loss of our long-time athletic director and friend," UC President Ed Welch said in a statement. "Tom Nozica has coached at UC since 1969 and may be the longest serving coach in all of Division II athletics. He is part of the fabric of the University of Charleston.

"He shaped and guided the athletics program of the University and, more important, he helped shape the lives of countless athletes."

West Virginia State Coach Cal Bailey met Nozica 36 years ago, one season before Bailey took over the Yellow Jackets' baseball program.

"We've had our differences, but we still remained friends all these years," Bailey said. "I remember one press article said he was vanilla, but I really thought he was adamant about some of the things he thought worked and didn't work in our conference.

"He's what I would call a 'baseball man.' It is a sad day for West Virginia Conference baseball, especially because things happened kind of sudden." 

An emotional Barnes said Thursday was a "tough day of mourning," but he couldn't help but chuckle when reminiscing of Nozica demanding compensation for mistakes in the form of shoe polish.

"The word I hear is there are still hundreds and hundreds of bottles of Kiwi polish stored somewhere," Barnes said.

Tom Nozica just wanted everything to shine.


Media Center

State Loses a Coaching Icon
By: Frank Giardina

Charleston Daily Mail Article
By: Chuck McGill