Note: The following appears in the Louisville football gameday program.
Nick Lomax was a three-year starter in left field for Bill Wilhelm’s baseball team between 1961-63. The native of Abbeville, S.C. batted a solid .287 in 70 career games and totaled 12 home runs and 47 RBIs during the wooden-bat era.
When he graduated, his first job was on the Clemson grounds crew. He then served in the Army for over two years, and during that time, he wrote a letter to President Robert C. Edwards about the possibility of working in the Clemson administration. Edwards found a place for him in the housing office.
After a few years, Lomax impressed Edwards and many others with his dedication to Clemson University and was promoted to vice president for student affairs. Eventually, he became vice president for administration and secretary of the Board of Trustees. Altogether, he worked in Clemson administration for 31 years.
Lomax, a Second-Team All-ACC selection in 1962, never became president of the university, but he would be considered among the most important Clemson administrators who also competed as a Tiger athlete.
I saw his influence on the athletic department and the overall university from close range during my first 18 years in the sports information department. When I became the director in 1989, I was involved in many meetings that had to do with important athletic department decisions.
Lomax was always at the forefront of those decisions, and I personally saw his wisdom in many instances.
“The organizational chart of the Clemson administration dating to the 1950s had the athletic director reporting to the vice president of student affairs,” said Bobby Robinson, who was hired to work in the Clemson housing office by Lomax in 1970. “It was a unique structure that dated to Walter Cox overseeing athletics when he was in that position.”
That meant when Robinson became athletic director in the spring of 1986, he reported to Lomax.
“Nick commanded respect whenever he entered a room, and when he spoke in a meeting, everyone listened. He was a true leader of the university along with the presidents he served under.”
With Lomax overseeing athletics, there were many important decisions made when it came to investments in facilities, student-athlete academic services and personnel decisions.
“He was involved in a lot of important decisions and advancements when it came to athletics,” said Robinson. “He didn’t make impulsive decisions. You always felt he made a thorough evaluation before making a decision.”
Robinson added that Lomax was involved in all aspects of Clemson University.
“He still oversaw housing, disciplinary matters and was a respected advisor to many other administrators.
“Nick was always doing things for the students and making decisions with the students in mind. When there was a student death, he was the person who communicated with the families and did a fantastic job helping that family through difficult times.”
In 2007, Lomax was honored with the Clemson Alumni Association’s Distinguished Service Award.
My relationship with Lomax continued after he retired in 1996. Long after his playing days were over, he had a unique ability to tell stories about Wilhelm’s program. He had a captive audience when I was listening.
One example took place about five years ago when he told about the April 3, 1962 baseball game against Georgia when the game was played under ACC “speed-up rules,” where a batter walked after just three balls and struck out on only two strikes. I had never heard of such a rule in an official Clemson game. When I looked up the box score, it noted that he had hit a key home run in Clemson’s 6-3 victory.
I had heard about the Tigers’ 27-17 win over South Carolina on May 8, 1962 from Bob Bradley, but Lomax provided interesting details. The Tigers hit five home runs in the sixth inning, including three on consecutive pitches. Again, Lomax hit one of the still-record eight home runs in the game.
With Lomax hitting six home runs that year, tied for the team lead, the Tigers led the nation in home runs per game, one of just two seasons Clemson has led the nation in that category.
Lomax has had some health issues in recent months, but still follows Tiger athletics and university news as closely as anyone from his residence in Clemson.
When I think about the “spirit of Clemson University” and the family atmosphere I see every day, I think of the many administrators with whom I dealt who set a standard when it came to doing the right things for students, whether they were athletes or not.
Nick Lomax has always been at the top of that list.
