Jim Nichols has served as the head coach of the Ithaca men's cross country team since 1992. The Bombers have qualified as a team for the NCAA championship five times during his career, including a top finish of ninth in 2001. That year Nichols earned Atlantic Region Coach of the Year honors after guiding the team to its first regional championship. He earned Empire 8 Coach of the Year honors in 2003 after leading the Bombers to their first Empire 8 title.
Nichols was an assistant coach for six seasons before taking over as head coach in 1992. He has also been Ithaca's head men's track and field coach for the past 17 years. During his career he’s coached 38 championship teams in cross country and indoor and outdoor track & field (17 state crowns, 15 conference titles and five ECAC championships).
Nichols was selected by USA Track and Field to serve on the staff for the 2002 World Cross Country Championships. He was team leader for the U.S. junior men's team that finished seventh out of 18 teams in Dublin, Ireland, in March 2002. His duties included serving as the chief facilitator for the athletes and handling aspects of competition and travel surrounding the event. He also assisted in the selection of the team and the trials.
Nichols has coached 29 all-Americans at Ithaca, including the 1992 national champion in the women's outdoor 5,000-meter run. His teams have won 17 state championships, including first-ever titles in men's cross country, men's indoor track & field and men's outdoor track & field in 2000. His teams have won five ECAC championships. Prior to his arrival at Ithaca, Nichols served as head cross country and track & field coach at Plattsburgh for two years. He coached the 1986 men's NCAA Division III 800-meter indoor champion.
Nichols was an all-American cross country runner at North Central College and was a member of the school's national championship teams in 1978 and 1979. Following his graduation in 1979 he served as assistant coach for the track and cross country teams at North Central and was a graduate assistant for both sports at Indiana University.
