Nixon fondly remembers Duquesne

The Duquesne Dukes were headed for March Madness after unexpectedly winning the Eastern 8 Conference Tournament championship behind a splendid guard named Norman Nixon.

The year was 1977.

Thirty seasons after Nixon led Duquesne to its most recent NCAA Tournament appearance, the memory remains engrained in the minds of loyal Dukes basketball fans, as well as Nixon's.

"I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Pittsburgh," he said of his four years at Duquesne.

Norm Nixon's pro basketball career has come and gone since he left Duquesne as a first-round draft choice of the Los Angeles Lakers. He became a star, at one point teaming in the backcourt with Magic Johnson to help produce NBA championships in 1980 and 1982.

In 2001, Nixon was among five of Duquesne's all-time greatest players to have their jerseys retired.

He holds the Duquesne all-time assists record (577) while averaging 17.4 points per game during his college career, and he possesses the longest NBA career (10 years) of any former Dukes player.

Nixon, 51, recently was honored by the National Conference of Black Mayors as the Humanitarian of the Year at the group's annual conference in Baton Route, La.

The Macon, Ga., native, who lives in Santa Monica, Calif., was cited for work done in the United States and Africa. Among his most recent ventures was purchasing uniforms for 40 members of the choir at his high school alma mater when it traveled to New York.

He also organizes charity events involving former NBA stars, and he has produced theatre shows with his wife, actress/producer/director/dancer Debbie Allen.

Nixon and his wife have three children, DeVaughn Nixon, an actor; Vivian Nixon, an actress and dancer; and Norman Jr., who will be a sophomore at Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C.

During his NBA playing career, which also included a stint with the Los Angeles Clippers, Nixon scored 12,065 points (15.7 ppg.) and recorded 6,386 assists (8.3 apg.) in 768 games.

Following his playing days, Nixon served one season as part of the Clippers' radio broadcasting team and currently does work as an analyst for ABC telecasts from Los Angeles of NBA games.

The Tribune-Review recently talked to Nixon about a variety of subjects, including his storied basketball career and his years spent in Pittsburgh.

Q: Your legacy in Pittsburgh is your connection to the city as a great basketball player at Duquesne University. What do you think your legacy is in a broader scope?

A: In a broader scope, you never can tell. Pittsburgh is where I grew up, and what I did there was play basketball. From a personal basis, my attachment is much broader. I felt connected to the whole area and to its people, not just to Duquesne. It's a lot broader than, say, my legacy. People that I know personally feel a lot differently, from my coach, John Cinicola, to my aunt, Christine Hainesworth, and her husband, Jim Hainesworth. They took care of me like I was their child. I had a lot of people who really cared about me as an individual.

Q: How is your recent recognition by the National Conference of Black Mayors tied into that?

A: I am who I am because of my mom and everybody in Georgia and my experience at Duquesne. A lot of people have cared about me and reached out to me. If you take my 17 years in Macon, Ga., and my four years at Duquesne, those years are the essence of who I am. People did things for me not because they wanted anything but because they cared about me. I do things for others because I sincerely care about people.

Q: Though you have said you don't do things to receive attention, what do you recognize in yourself for the things that you do?

A: The mayor of Macon made sure to recognize me because I've done many things for the people in my city. For me, sometimes true imitation is the greatest form of flattery. It's great when you see kids grow up and recognize you and say, 'Hey I remember when you did this for me and it changed my whole life,' or 'I remember you coming back and saying things and it resonated with me.' Those are the scenarios that make you feel the best. Being a respectful person defines being a successful person, not dollars and cents. That's what I try to be. That's how I try to live my life. You don't judge others and point a finger. If you open the closet, those skeleton will all fall out on you. By no means, have I lived this perfect life on a straight line but I work at it to try to be the best I can be.

Q: You have a son, Norman Jr., who plays basketball. Has there been pressure on him to emulate his dad on the court?

A: He's loved the game, and he's very, very talented. He didn't play as much as we wanted to (as a freshman at Wofford). I think I see a new fire burning in him. I think I might have been hands-off too much.

Q: It is said that you will always consider yourself a member of the Lakers, despite being traded. What are some of the things that motivate you toward that thinking?

A: I am both a Laker and a Clipper, but my memories are different because we won championships with the Lakers. I played with some of the greatest players to grace the court, but it was special to play for a championship.

Q: Can you talk about your time in the backcourt with Hall of Famer Magic Johnson• After all, you were the Lakers' leading scorer in the 1982 NBA playoffs when the two of you won a second league title together.

A: In hindsight, when you read the press clippings today, you think Magic and Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar) were the only ones who played for the Lakers. When you played in the games, like I did, you know there were others. Guys like Jim Chones and Kurt Rambis. Jamal Wilkes, Michael Cooper and Bob McAdoo. Spencer Haywood. Eddie Jordan. We had some close-knit groups.

Q: Do you ever hear people say such a thing as, "Duquesne• I didn't know you played there."

A: People still have problems remembering that. But real basketball fans know. Guys understand the history at Duquesne. Chuck Cooper was one of the first black players to be integrated into the game. 'Sweetwater' Clifton (from Xavier, La.) might have been the first. Chuck was right there, too. You had the Rickets brothers and Sihugo Green. Duquesne has a storied history.

Q: What are some of the things you remember most about your time as a student/athlete at Duquesne University?

A: I remember walking across campus in the cold weather. I remember during my freshman year, I almost cried. I remember being at the bus stops and my brother, Kenneth Nixon, moved to East Liberty. I remember the pizza joint at the corner was a one-room place when I got there and by the time I graduated, they owned the whole block. I remember the swimming pools on the second floor, and the restaurants. I remember some of the great artists who stayed on campus. My professor. My math teacher. They were great guys.

Q: What was your first thought when you learned about the tragic shootings of five Duquesne basketball players on campus before the start of last season?

A: I called immediately. It just reminds you that no one's immune to that type of incident. You have to be careful where you are, even at a place with a protected environment.

Q: During a recent appearance in Pittsburgh, you stated that Duquesne needed a significant upgrade of its athletics department if it were to become successful again in its marquee sport, men's basketball. Where do you think the Duquesne basketball program is headed under current coach Ron Everhart?

A: I don't know too much about his history. There's no reason Duquesne can't have a good team. You look at a team like Connecticut. How about the run St. Joe's had• Look at UMass. You just have to get the alumni involved and former players involved more. When I was there, we didn't have that arena (Palumbo Center). You have a nice arena there now. There's no reason for not having a good team.