SANFORD, Fla. -- Former Nicholls State University men's basketball head coach Gordon C. Stauffer passed away this past Monday, Sept. 23 at the age of 89, leaving behind his two daughters, his wife and four grandchildren. Stauffer concluded his 24-year head coaching career with the Colonels, leading the Red & Gray on the hardwood for nine seasons from 1981 through 1990 as the program transitioned from Division II to Division I competition.

A Fort Wayne, Ind. native, Stauffer took his basketball talents to Michigan State from 1948-1952, lettering three seasons as a guard with the Spartans and becoming the first-ever Michigan State player drafted into the NBA (Indianapolis Olympians). However, Stauffer opted to move directly into coaching, and, after stints as an assistant at South Carolina & Oklahoma, earned his first head coaching position with Washburn in 1966.

Following a one-year stretch with Washburn, Stauffer took the reins at Indiana State for the next nine years, assisting the program in its transition from Division II to Division I play. Following time at both IPFW and Geneva, he took over at Nicholls in 1981, managing the program for six independent seasons (1981-84, 1987-1990) and three seasons in the Gulf Star Conference (1984-87) while the Colonels moved up to Division I competition across all sports. Stauffer retired to Florida the season before the Red & Gray officially joined the Southland Conference, finishing his career with an overall record of 299-331 and a 101-140 mark across nine seasons with Nicholls.

In 2004, Stauffer was officially inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.

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