Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 21, 1934, Knoxville High School and Iowa State football player Dwight Nichols was born. The Big Seven Conference MVP in 1958, Nichols also stood out as a part of the legendary Cyclones “Dirty Thirty” team of 1959.
Born and raised in Marion County, Nichols excelled on the gridiron before entering the military to serve in the Korean War. Nichols spent three years serving in the Marines before returning to Iowa and taking up Cyclone coach J.A. Myers’s offer of a ‘prove-yourself-scholarship.’ The 5’10”, 164-pound Knoxville native did that and more after arriving in Ames.
After an impressive run on the freshman team, Nichols found himself starring in the team’s newly implemented single-wing offense. The Cyclones directly snapped the ball to Nichols at tailback, who then either ran or passed. Nichols went on to lead the Big Seven in total offense for three consecutive years while garnering Big 7 MVP honors in 1958 and Big 8 Player of the Year honors in 1959. A punishing rusher, Nichols carried the ball 638 times to set the (then) Big 8 Conference career rushing record with 2,232 yards and 3,949 yards of total offense.
Nichols's senior season saw the Cyclones field a roster of just thirty players. Many of the players toughed out a brutal season while playing offense and defense, while Iowa State ground away to a 7-3 record on the season to finish second in the Big 8. Nichols garnered first-team -All-American honors and a place in Cyclone lore as the star of the ‘Dirty Thirty.’ #IowaOTD #IowaHistoryDaily #IowaHistoryCalendar
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