Bowling Green State University Athletics
From risk to resilience: Eric Nichols’ lasting Impact at BGSU
May 04, 2026 | Men's Soccer
(Read this story on the BG Falcon Media website)
One day, BGSU men's soccer head coach Eric Nichols and his wife, Marianne Nichols, were having lunch at a Skyline Chili in Columbus.
Eric Nichols was working as a computer consultant, while Marianne Nichols was a respiratory therapist. They were trying to figure out life, like most couples and adults in their early 20s.
They had just bought a home, and Marianne Nichols was pregnant with their first child, Kale Nichols.
But they weren't happy with their current situation.
"I remember just specifically one day sitting with my wife, she was in a job she didn't particularly like at the time, either. And we were having lunch, and we were thinking, 'Man, is the next 40 years gonna be like this?' said Eric Nichols.
Shortly after that conversation, Eric Nichols quit his job and took his first assistant coaching job at Ohio Wesleyan, which paid $3,000.
"We just made it work somehow. We made it work," said Eric Nichols.
THE EARLY DAYS
Eric Nichols, who just completed his 17th season at the helm of the program, never wanted to be a head coach. He just wanted to play—and that he did.
Following his time at Ohio State, Eric Nichols played for the since-folded Columbus Xoggz and Indiana Blast of the USISL, now known as the United Soccer League (USL) and the Columbus Invaders of the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL).
But despite retiring from his playing days, Eric Nichols couldn't get soccer off his mind.
"I was coaching a club team on the side, and I found myself driving to this job every day thinking about my club team," said Eric Nichols. "And during the job, thinking about my club team at lunch, thinking about my club team and just being so excited about that and really not very excited about the job."
Eric Nichols followed his passion. His first stop, Ohio Wesleyan, lasted from 2000 to 2003, where he worked under the great Dr. Jay Martin, a place where he describes his time as almost earning a graduate degree in college coaching.
"It wasn't necessarily as much about soccer, but on how to run a college program, how to motivate this age of young men, and just how to cultivate alumni relationships and just how to run everything," said Eric Nichols. "I was there for four years, and it was. It was literally a graduate degree in college coaching."
His next stop was at Ohio Dominican, where he spent four seasons as the head coach and finished with a 59-22-2 record. During his time there, he was named the AMC Coach Of the Year three-times. After that, Eric Nichols got his first job at the division one level at Davidson College in North Carolina.
The Nichols family thought they had moved south for good. Eric Nichols' mom was living in Atlanta at the time, and Marianne Nichols' parents had a place in Tennessee.
Eric Nichols spent just one year as an assistant with the Wildcats before moving back to Ohio along with his family. Why? He wanted to be a head coach.
"It was a great experience, I think, as a family moving together somewhere new," said Marianne Nichols. "I think it's a place where Eric got a lot of experience in division one and really learned that being an assistant coach is probably not for him. I think he really enjoys being in charge of the team, being the head coach."
Returning to Ohio, there were two jobs open: Bowling Green and Wright State. One place didn't call back.
"Those were the two jobs that were open, and it didn't matter to me which one. Turns out Wright State didn't call me back," said Eric Nichols. "Bowling Green called me back, and I went to work doing everything I could to get anyone I knew who knew anything about Bowling Green to call on my behalf. And I worked really hard to get this job."
THE BG TURNAROUND
Fast forward nearly two decades, Eric Nichols has posted a 136-127-48 overall record with the Falcons–including winning the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Coach of the Year and Ohio Collegiate Soccer Association (OSCA) Coach of the Year twice in the 2016 and 2020(-21) seasons.
Under Eric Nichols, the program has had five players selected in the Major League Soccer (MLS) SuperDraft. The first being current assistant coach Ryan James in 2016, Ebenezer Ackon in 2019, Jacob Erlandson in 2022, Joey Akpunonu in 2023, and most recently Trace Terry in 2025.
But with all the success the Falcons and Eric Nichols have had in the past years, it wasn't all when he took over in 2009.
"The foundation of Bowling Green soccer when I got here was lacking. This program has been awesome. For so many years, but there was a dark period right before I got here," said Eric Nichols. "So it took some time to reconnect with that. But once we reconnected, win, lose, or draw, there's one way we want to do it, and it's like the BG way. We're not gonna bow down to anyone. We're gonna fight, we're gonna work, we're gonna play for each other."
Before Eric Nichols arrived at Bowling Green, the Falcons had a Rating Percentage Index (RPI) of 184 during the 2008 season. Fast forward four years, and BG had an RPI of 99 and then jumped to the 64th-ranked team in the nation after the 2014 season.
A big part of the Falcons' turnaround was the community established within the team under Eric Nichols.
"We really emphasized the idea of brotherhood. So I think he did that," said Akpunonu. "Obviously, we're very close on the field, but even closer off the field."
Akpunonu spent three years with the Falcons from 2020 to 2022 and is the only first-round MLS draft pick in program history. He currently plays with the Charleston Battery in the United Soccer League (USL) as a defender.
Even a few years removed from the program, Akpunonu still values his relationship with Eric Nichols.
"We were really close even now, over this past off-season, I was back in Ohio, back in Toledo, and I went and trained with him a couple times, and he was still giving me stuff that he thinks I can do better at," said Akpunonu. "I think he watches some of my games, not obviously as much as he used to, 'cause he is not my coach anymore. But I think he still gives me really good advice."
COACHING HIS FIRST-BORN
One of the biggest chapters in Eric Nichols' coaching career was being able to coach his oldest son, Kale Nichols, for five seasons from 2018 to 2022.
Kale Nichols grew up around the program in Bowling Green and always wanted to play collegiate soccer. But he didn't know if BG was the right choice right away.
"It was a unique situation for sure, [Eric Nichols] being the coach, if anything, at least at first, it was a detriment, I was like, 'no, I can't go there, I can't be coached by my dad.' But ultimately, I did. We did the whole recruiting thing and visited other schools, but in the end, we talked, and we know that this won't be easy. There's gonna be natural difficulties that come with it, but. Is that worth it to not go through with this?" said Kale Nichols. "Ultimately, playing soccer at BG was my dream. It's what I had grown up around. It's what those guys were like, my heroes, going to those camps and whatnot. But there's no reason to let that stop me from going forward with this and achieving a dream of mine."
While it can be stressful to balance the father-son dynamic, the two made it work.
"In some ways, it paused their father-son relationship, in a little bit," said Marianne Nichols. "There was a lot of compartmentalizing. When is he coach and when is he, Dad?"
Looking back on Eric Nichols, his time coaching his son was nothing but great memories.
"It was a blast. I don't think you could ask for more during it. We did a really good job of not being father-son. I almost think we lost five years of our relationship because we were very protective about treating him any differently than anyone else," said Eric Nichols. "We had some great teams, and he had a great period there."
One of the biggest goals in program history belongs to Kale Nichols. In the first round of the 2021 NCAA Championships, the Falcons went down to Kentucky to face Louisville, winning 1-0 with Kale Nichols scoring the only goal in overtime to give Bowling Green their first national tournament victory since 1997.
But despite the memorable moments with Kale Nichols on the field, the experience of coaching his son gave Eric Nichols a new perspective.
"I do think that it helped me a lot to see the experience of our players through the players' lens and even through the parents' lens," said Eric Nichols. "Now I'm really seeing everything from a pre-season trip to a road trip, to an end-of-season loss, to whatever the things they experience. I'm seeing it through his personal lens, and it definitely made me a better coach."
JORDAN NICHOLS
One of the worst days of Eric Nichols and his family's life happened on Aug 27, 2023.
Jordan Nichols, the daughter of Eric and Marianne Nichols, passed away due to complications from an appendectomy.
"I think it's hard to tell my story at all without mentioning the loss of my daughter Jordan." It has a huge impact on me. And it's been, it's been a challenge. It still remains a challenge. Everyone around the program, alum, administration, players, assistant coaches at the time, they had to basically take over, have been nothing but just supportive."
The loss of Jordan Nichols, and the pain of losing a daughter, is nearly impossible to describe–and this year will mark three years since she's passed, the struggles remain daily.
"That was the darkest time in our life, my time here, but also the darkest time in my life," said Eric Nichols. "We're still working through it, I've got my methods, my wife's got her methods…Still trying to figure it out."
One of the memories Eric Nichols shared with Jordan Nichols was a trip they both took together to Iceland just a couple of months before she passed.
"It was just her and me in Iceland for 10 days. So I tend to go there a lot. I've got a lot of videos and whatnot," said Eric Nichols.
The absence of Jordan Nichols has left a void in her family and friends. But her memory and the person she was have made Eric Nichols a better man, says her older brother.
"I like to think that she affected him in the ways of being really open to learning and being open to connecting with people emotionally and really staying on the side of empathy toward people," said Kale Nichols. "I think those are ways that we're always in him, but I'd like to think that he has opened up to them more since then."
HIS "ROCK"
Through the ups and downs, wins and losses, and everything that life has brought Eric Nichols, there has been one person with him on this entire journey: Marianne Nichols.
"She's a killer. She hates it when we call her that; she doesn't want to be this tough guy. I think I've just gone to enough games watching Kale play. When you're not actively involved, it's excruciating. She does this on a daily basis with me as a coach, and then she did it with Kale," said Eric Nichols. "She has such a good perspective on everything. She's a big fan of the program, but just keeps everything in perspective and keeps us humble when we need it, picks us up when we need it."
Marianne Nichols reflected on their long relationship, shaped by growing up together and navigating life side by side.
"I think when you start dating someone in your early twenties, you basically grow up with each other," said Marianne Nichols. "So, meeting him initially, obviously, he was on his own and had a dirty apartment and a bunch of roommates and was trying to figure out what he was gonna pursue in life. I've been with him longer than I have without."
Marianne Nichols describes their relationship as defined by resilience, shared experiences, and a mutual love for what lies ahead.
"It's a partnership in life. We've faced significant tragedy in our family and shared some incredible highs, and I know there are more great things ahead," said Marianne Nichols. "I enjoy the partnership and am excited about what's in our future. We both love to travel—when we think about saving or spending money, it's always for travel—and we're looking forward to the next hikes to come."
LEGACY
All good things must come to an end—and one day down the road, Eric Nichols' tenure as head coach of BGSU men's soccer will come to an end.
But right now, Eric Nichols is only focused on his day-to-day approach.
"I have not thought of that, and I do a good job of keeping my head down," said Eric Nichols. "I will try to do the best work we can do today. Making sure priorities are in line, and when it's all said and done, I'll look back and hopefully be really proud of the work."
Despite the challenges faced both on and off the field, and with nearly three decades of coaching experience, you might be wondering, 'What motivates Eric Nichols to continue coaching?'
His answer is quite simple.
"Practice today. Practice was awesome. I can't wait for practice tomorrow."
