During the NIT championship run of 1973-4, Jerry "Stick" Nichols, the forward opposite of Frank Kendrick suffered a traumatic season-ending knee injury. Jerry was 6'5" and 185 lbs. He was a terrific defender with a quick first step, regularly guarding the other team's best player, including Michigan's Campy Russell, Indiana's Scott May and North Carolina State's David Thompson, the prototype for Michael Jordan.
Jerry was coming off the left elbow and driving alone to an open basket. As he planted his foot, his leg "exploded." He went down in a heap and you could hear his scream on the TV, or so I remember from 45 years ago. It was said that Jerry's kneecap (patella) detached and was somewhere up his thigh. Purdue won the tourney (which was a BIG one back then) and when the team came home, they were greeted by a large crowd in Mackey. Jerry was wheeled out in a wheelchair with his leg extended and got perhaps the greatest ovation of the night.
Jerry came back for his senior year but had lost much of his incredible quickness. Fortunately for Purdue, a freshman class of Walter Jordan, Wayne Walls and Eugene Parker had arrived on the scene. Together with Tom Scheffler, Bruce Parkinson and for one year, Kyle Macy, Purdue managed to have some pretty good teams, leading up to the 1980 Joe Barry Carroll-led Final Four team.
Jerry was coming off the left elbow and driving alone to an open basket. As he planted his foot, his leg "exploded." He went down in a heap and you could hear his scream on the TV, or so I remember from 45 years ago. It was said that Jerry's kneecap (patella) detached and was somewhere up his thigh. Purdue won the tourney (which was a BIG one back then) and when the team came home, they were greeted by a large crowd in Mackey. Jerry was wheeled out in a wheelchair with his leg extended and got perhaps the greatest ovation of the night.
Jerry came back for his senior year but had lost much of his incredible quickness. Fortunately for Purdue, a freshman class of Walter Jordan, Wayne Walls and Eugene Parker had arrived on the scene. Together with Tom Scheffler, Bruce Parkinson and for one year, Kyle Macy, Purdue managed to have some pretty good teams, leading up to the 1980 Joe Barry Carroll-led Final Four team.
