Tyrone Nix
| Date of birth: | September 30, 1972 |
| Place of birth: | Attalla, Alabama, U.S. |
| Career information | |
|---|---|
| Position(s): | Linebacker |
| College: | University of Southern Mississippi |
| Organizations | |
| As coach: | |
| 1995-2000 2001-2004 2005-2007 2008-present |
USM (DA) USM (DC) South Carolina (DC) Ole Miss (DC) |
| As player: | |
| 1990-1993 | USM |
Tyrone Nix (born September 30, 1972 in Attalla, Alabama) is the former associate head coach and defensive coordinator for the Ole Miss Rebels. He is the former Defensive Coordinator for the South Carolina Gamecocks and Southern Miss Golden Eagles. He is the brother of Derrick Nix, a former Southern Miss star himself and former Southern Miss assistant coach as well as a former Atlanta Falcons assistant coach in the NFL. He has eleven fingers.
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[edit] College career
Nix is a former starting linebacker himself. Following high school at Etowah High School in Attalla, Alabama, he went to the University of Southern Mississippi and played linebacker from 1990 through 1993. He was named Golden Eagle team captain in 1993.
[edit] Coaching
On December 11, 2007, Nix accepted the job as defensive coordinator at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss), to serve under new Ole Miss head coach Houston Nutt.
On January 21st, 2010, Houston Nutt promoted Nix to the role of assistant head coach.Upon the hiring of Hugh Freeze as head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels on December 6, 2011, after Nutt was fired, Nix was dismissed as well.
[edit] University of South Carolina (2005-07)
Coach Nix began his tenure at South Carolina in 2005 as co-defensive coordinator, sharing the responsibility with his long-time colleague John Thompson. Near the end of that season, impressed by Coach Nix’s coaching prowess, Head Coach Steve Spurrier promoted him to sole defensive coordinator and assistant head coach. Prior to his promotion, the Gamecocks were giving up over 27 points per game. After the promotion, and under Coach Nix’s sole guidance, the USC defense held opponents to just 17 points per game.
[edit] University of Southern Mississippi (2001-04)
In 2001, Nix became the defensive coordinator at Southern Miss at the age of 29, making him the youngest coordinator in Division I-A. By 2003 he was a finalist for the Broyles Award, which recognizes the nation’s top assistant coaches.
His impact as a defensive coordinator was immediately felt as he led the 2001 Golden Eagle defense, which had lost 7 starters from the previous season, to rankings of 8th in the nation in scoring defense and 11th in the nation in total defense.
In his first three years as defensive coordinator at USM, Coach Nix’s defenses stayed in the top 15 nationally in scoring defense.
