Nick Nicolau
- May 5, 1933
- December 6, 2014
- 81 years
- fall
Remembering Nick Nicolau: related finds and keepsakes
About Nick Nicolau
Nick Nicolau, 81, American football coach.
Explore other notable deaths in 2014 or deaths in December 2014.
The Deaths Archive presents
How well do you know Nick Nicolau?
Explore their life. Test your knowledge. Beat the challenge.
10 questions · One legacy · How much do you really know?
Challenge your friends
Play together in real-time.
Advertisement
Full Biography
|Anthero "Nick" Nicolau (May 5, 1933 – December 6, 2014) was an American football coach. He is known for his tenure as a longtime assistant coach in the National Football League (NFL) and college football. He graduated from Southern Connecticut State University.
He spent most of the 1960s and 1970s coaching at college programs such as Bridgeport (Head Coach), Massachusetts, Connecticut, Kentucky, and Kent State.
Nicolau broke into the NFL with the New Orleans Saints in 1980 under then head coach Dick Stanfel. He moved on to the Denver Broncos, coaching the running backs from 1981 through 1987. Some of the players he coached included Dave Preston, Sammy Winder, and Steve Sewell.
A dispute ended his tenure in Denver. He landed with the Los Angeles Raiders, but got into a dispute with another assistant coach, Art Shell. Shell was supported by owner and managing partner Al Davis, who fired Nicolau. He then went to the Buffalo Bills and served as their wide receivers coach from 1989 to 1991. There he worked with talents such as Andre Reed and Don Beebe. It was rumored that Nicolau left Buffalo due to a dispute with offensive line coach Tom Bresnahan who became offensive coordinator the next season.
In 1992, he became the offensive coordinator of the Indianapolis Colts under head coach Ted Marchibroda with whom he worked in Buffalo. He helped the Colts to a 9–7 record in 1992 and an 8–8 record in 1994. He helped develop Reggie Langhorne as a receiver and worked with quarterback Jeff George as well. In 1994, he helped turn running back Marshall Faulk as a rookie while also working with both Jim Harbaugh and Don Majkowski at quarterback.
Nicolau then spent two seasons coaching the tight ends for the Jacksonville Jaguars, helping to develop Pete Mitchell as a blocker and receiver. In 1997, Jaguars offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride became the head coach of the San Diego Chargers and Nicolau followed him to California. There he served two years as the Chargers assistant head coach before retiring after the 1998 NFL season. He died at age 81 on December 6, 2014.
Head coaching record
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
Interactive
Test Your Knowledge – Trivia Challenge
How well do you know this person's life and legacy?
No account needed to play. Sign in to keep your score on the leaderboard.
Books & Media
Find books, audiobooks and films about Nick Nicolau on Amazon.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.
Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Nicolau
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- View record
- September 29, 2026
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from Nick Nicolau's archived record and the sources above.
1.Which quarterback did Nick Nicolau work with during his time at the Indianapolis Colts in 1994?
- A.Don Beebe
- B.Dave Preston
- C.Andre Reed
- D.Jim Harbaughcorrect
In 1994 with the Indianapolis Colts, Nick Nicolau worked with quarterbacks Jim Harbaugh and Don Majkowski.
Source: Indianapolis Colts tenure
2.What position group did Nick Nicolau coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars?
- A.Tight endscorrect
- B.Running backs
- C.Quarterbacks
- D.Wide receivers
Nick Nicolau spent two seasons coaching the tight ends for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Source: Jacksonville Jaguars tenure
3.Which coach did Nick Nicolau follow to the San Diego Chargers in 1997?
- A.Art Shell
- B.Ted Marchibroda
- C.Kevin Gilbridecorrect
- D.Dick Stanfel
In 1997, Jaguars offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride became the head coach of the San Diego Chargers and Nick Nicolau followed him.
Source: San Diego Chargers tenure
4.What role did Nick Nicolau serve while with the San Diego Chargers?
- A.Wide receivers coach
- B.Offensive coordinator
- C.Assistant head coachcorrect
- D.Head coach
Nick Nicolau served two years as the assistant head coach for the San Diego Chargers.
Source: San Diego Chargers tenure
5.After which NFL season did Nick Nicolau retire?
- A.1998 NFL seasoncorrect
- B.1994 NFL season
- C.1991 NFL season
- D.1987 NFL season
Nick Nicolau retired after the 1998 NFL season.
Source: retirement and death
6.At what age did Nick Nicolau die?
- A.81correct
- B.85
- C.78
- D.88
Nick Nicolau died on December 6, 2014, at the age of 81.
Source: retirement and death
7.On what date was Nick Nicolau born?
- A.December 6, 2014
- B.June 15, 1933
- C.May 5, 1933correct
- D.May 5, 1930
Nick Nicolau was born on May 5, 1933.
Source: biographical introduction
8.Which university did Nick Nicolau graduate from?
- A.University of Connecticut
- B.University of Kentucky
- C.Southern Connecticut State Universitycorrect
- D.University of Massachusetts
Nick Nicolau graduated from Southern Connecticut State University.
Source: early education section
9.Where did Nick Nicolau serve as a head coach during the 1960s and 1970s?
- A.University of Kentucky
- B.University of Massachusetts
- C.University of Connecticut
- D.University of Bridgeportcorrect
Nick Nicolau served as the head coach at the University of Bridgeport.
Source: college coaching section
10.Who was the head coach of the New Orleans Saints when Nick Nicolau first joined the NFL?
- A.Dick Stanfelcorrect
- B.Al Davis
- C.Kevin Gilbride
- D.Ted Marchibroda
Nick Nicolau broke into the NFL with the New Orleans Saints in 1980 under head coach Dick Stanfel.
Source: NFL entry section
11.Which position group did Nick Nicolau coach for the Denver Broncos?
- A.Tight ends
- B.Quarterbacks
- C.Wide receivers
- D.Running backscorrect
Nick Nicolau coached the running backs for the Denver Broncos from 1981 through 1987.
Source: Denver Broncos tenure
12.Which player was NOT coached by Nick Nicolau while he was with the Denver Broncos?
- A.Sammy Winder
- B.Dave Preston
- C.Reggie Langhornecorrect
- D.Steve Sewell
Reggie Langhorne was a player Nick Nicolau helped develop while at the Indianapolis Colts, not the Denver Broncos.
Source: Denver Broncos tenure
13.Why was Nick Nicolau fired from the Los Angeles Raiders?
- A.A dispute with Tom Bresnahan
- B.His retirement from football
- C.A dispute with Art Shellcorrect
- D.Poor performance of the running backs
Al Davis fired Nick Nicolau following a dispute between Nick Nicolau and assistant coach Art Shell.
Source: Los Angeles Raiders tenure
14.During which years did Nick Nicolau serve as the wide receivers coach for the Buffalo Bills?
- A.1980–1981
- B.1989–1991correct
- C.1997–1998
- D.1992–1994
Nick Nicolau served as the wide receivers coach for the Buffalo Bills from 1989 to 1991.
Source: Buffalo Bills tenure
15.Who was the offensive coordinator that Nick Nicolau allegedly had a dispute with in Buffalo?
- A.Dick Stanfel
- B.Ted Marchibroda
- C.Art Shell
- D.Tom Bresnahancorrect
It was rumored that Nick Nicolau left Buffalo due to a dispute with offensive line coach Tom Bresnahan.
Source: Buffalo Bills tenure
16.In 1992, who was the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts when Nick Nicolau became offensive coordinator?
- A.Art Shell
- B.Kevin Gilbride
- C.Ted Marchibrodacorrect
- D.Al Davis
In 1992, Nick Nicolau became the offensive coordinator of the Indianapolis Colts under head coach Ted Marchibroda.
Source: Indianapolis Colts tenure
Explore the archive
People who died on December 6
Spotted an error?
Help us keep the archive accurate. Report a correction with a source.
Report an error for Nick Nicolau →Advertisement
