By Steve Baker
GO RHINOS!!! That was the shout out this week as the Denver Lake Norman Rotary Club welcomed Coach “Dickey” Nutt as its guest speaker. Coach Nutt is the second of four sons. All of his brothers have been involved with collegiate football and basketball throughout their careers. Coach Nutt has over thirty years of experience coaching at the Division I level. He was named the 1998 Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year and lead the Arkansas State team to two Sun Belt Championships, a divisional title, and the program’s only NCAA Tournament appearance in 1999. Coach Nutt lead the Arkansas State basketball team from 1995 to 2008. Coach Nutt also served as the Head Coach at Southeast Missouri State from 2009 to 2015. During his tenure at Southeast Missouri State, his teams consistently ranked among the nation’s top offensive teams. In the 2013 to 2014 season the team finished second nationally in field-goal percentage.
Dr. John Hauser, President of Gaston College, Dallas, NC and the Gaston College Board or Directors decided to bring back Collegiate Sports to Gaston College after a fifty year absence. On June 1st, 2021, David Nutt was hired to become the Athletic Director and Head Men’s Basketball Coach for Gaston College. As Athletic Director, Coach Nutt will oversee the first year of participation in collegiate sports for Gaston College which will include men's basketball, baseball, softball beach volleyball and esports (online gaming). When more facilities are available, additional men’s and women’s sports will be added. Currently the teams are finding open gyms and baseball/softball fields at nearby High Schools to use.
If you have the opportunity over the next few months, go and see the Gaston College basketball, baseball, softball or beach volleyball teams play in a game for the first time in almost fifty years.
Additional information on Gaston College can be found at www.gaston.edu.
Also, please click the button below to learn more about the new athletic program and see the ceremony introducing the school's new nickname, slogan, mascot and colors.
