Nix joins CSU as assistant

When Patrick Nix, the new wide receivers coach for Charleston Southern University, was fired as offensive coordinator at the University of Miami following the 2008 season, he was able to find a silver lining in a dark cloud.

Nix spent the next year and a half being a husband and father, coaching his children in flag football, basketball and baseball. He made it to 14 of 15 games to watch his father coach on the high school level in his final season. And Nix, a devout Christian, said he and his family did a lot of praying about the future.

"After I was let go at the University of Miami, I had well over a year left on my contract," Nix said Wednesday. "They had to pay me out. The way the contract worked, if I took another job, I lost the contract. So we made a decision as a family to enjoy that time, that year and a half off, and let Miami pay us. I could be a husband, be a dad. And if I wanted to get back into coaching after that, fine. If God led us in a different direction, we would do that."

As a collegian, Nix was a standout quarterback at Auburn, leading the Tigers to an 11-0 record in 1993. His coaching resume includes stops at Jacksonville State, head coach at Division II Henderson State and a year at Samford. Georgia Tech hired Nix in 2004 as offensive coordinator, and he went to Miami in 2007 but was fired after a 7-6 season.

Nix said after being fired by Miami, he didn't know if he would get back into coaching, and if he returned

he didn't know at what level -- high school, college or perhaps the NFL when he had some contacts.

An opening a few weeks ago at CSU -- Dave Brunner resigned to take a job in education affiliated with the U.S. military -- opened the door. CSU coach Jay Mills said he had some candidates in mind, and a friend gave him Nix's name.

"I knew percentage-wise the chances were very slim, but out of respect to this friend I gave Patrick a call," Mills said. "I almost immediately apologized for talking to him about a position that did not match his resume and certainly did not match the economics of what he had been accustomed to."

At first, Nix thought Mills' call was related to a graduate assistant or student assistant who had used Nix as a reference. But after talking about the job, Nix promised he would discuss it with his wife and give it prayerful consideration. He called Mills back the next morning, then made a visit to Charleston Southern to interview and was officially named to the job Wednesday.

Mills said he follows the Woody Hayes philosophy in hiring coaches, looking for "men of integrity, men that have a great work ethic and men that have a great technical knowledge of the game."

"We feel privileged to have somebody of his caliber," Mills said. "It's not just Xs and Os, but he's truly a man that will fit well with the rest of our coaching staff and be involved in the total development of the young men entrusted into our care."

Nix, 38, will also serve as recruiting coordinator and passing game coordinator. He said his family, including daughters ages 12 and 2, and sons ages 10 and 7, is looking forward to the move.

"I would never have done it if I didn't think it was the best thing for our family overall," Nix said. "This was the complete package, what we were looking for not only for myself but for our whole family. The priorities in my life, my faith and family, outweigh the coaching aspect of it. If I could have it all, the faith, family and coaching, it would be wonderful, which is what I found here."

Nix said he did not expect it to be difficult to adjust from coaching at ACC powerhouses to Charleston Southern. He said he's spent the majority of his football life in similar scenarios. The most urgent adjustment will be learning the verbiage of a new offense with camp just over a week away.