Oral Histories

Interview of William Nicholas

General manager of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Interviewed because of connection to J.D. Morgan, UCLA tennis coach and athletic director.
Subtitle:
Right Man at the Right Time: J. D. Morgan
Series:
Right Man at the Right Time: J.D. Morgan
Topic:
Sports
UCLA and University of California History
UCLA Intercollegiate Athletics Staff
Biographical Note:
General manager of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Interviewed because of connection to J.D. Morgan, UCLA tennis coach and athletic director.
Interviewer:
Rose, David A.
Interviewee:
Nicholas, William
Supporting Documents:
Records relating to the interview are located in the office of the UCLA Library's Center for Oral History Research.
Language:
English
Copyright:
Regents of the University of California, UCLA Library.
Series Statement:
This series documents the contribution of UCLA Athletics Coach J.D. Morgan through interviews with individuals who had worked with Morgan both inside and outside the UCLA community.
Abstract:
William Nicholas on his memories of J. D. Morgan: First impressions of Morgan: a hard bargainer and a seeker of “near perfection”; As general manager of the Coliseum, dealings with Morgan and UCLA; Disappointment over failure to build football stadium on Westwood campus; Morgan’s involvement in Coliseum Relays; Prestige among athletic directors; Nicholas’s working relationship with Morgan; Protecting an immature Lew Alcindor and UCLA at the same time; Support of the Rose Bowl and the Tournament of Roses pageant; Anticipation of importance of television to college athletics; Opposition to Super Bowl played in Rose Bowl; Morgan’s attitudes about professional sport; Financial acumen; Offer to succeed Nicholas; Morgan as media innovator; Personal relationship between Morgan and Nicholas; Morgan’s personal qualities; A fight with Father Joyce of Notre Dame on the question of need-based aid; Attitude about officiating; Drive for perfection and control; Response to illness; Controversies; Sam Gilbert and UCLA basketball program; Morgan’s hiring and firing decisions; Attitudes toward social unrest in 1960s and 1970s.