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VA L M A PLES Longtime fans and older alumni will remember Val Maples, who is widely considered a pioneer of women’s sports at Cameron. She was instrumental in the development of a number of women's athletics programs, coaching many of them herself. Maples coached women’s basketball, volleyball and softball at Cameron State Agricultural College and served as Dean of Women from 1957-1967. She dedicated 22 years to promoting women’s sports during her 31-year career at Cameron. As tribute to her many accomplishments, a bench outside of Aggie Gym was dedicated in her honor in 2007. She was inducted into the CU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2008. Maples, 93, died at her home in Lawton on December 9. She was buried in Healdton, her childhood hometown.
LON N I E N ICHOLS Lonnie Nichols was arguably the greatest men’s basketball coach in Cameron history, guiding the Aggies as an assistant coach and then as head coach from 1973-1981. In his eight years at CU – four as assistant basketball coach and four as head coach, he took trips to the national tournament with the Aggies three times. Coach Nichols compiled a 122-26 record during his time as head coach (1977-81). He was NAIA Coach of the Year in 1979 when Cameron reached the quarterfinals of the national tournament, then he took the Aggies all the way to an NAIA National Basketball Championship the next year. After winning the NAIA District 9 and National Championships in 1980, Nichols was presented with the Oklahoma Sports Headliner Award. After leaving Cameron, he coached at Oklahoma City University, then moved to Texas where he was involved with high school sports in Fort Worth and Garland. Coach Nichols was inducted into the Cameron University Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009. He passed away due to a brain aneurysm on April 9 at his home at age 78. 26
CAMERON UNIVERSITY
