Derrick Nix (born February 22, 1980) is an

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

coach and former player who is currently the

offensive coordinator An offensive coordinator (OC) is a Coach (sport), coach responsible for a gridiron football team's offense (American football), offense. Generally, the offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator represent the second ...

Auburn University Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 26,800 undergraduate students, over 6,100 post-graduate students, and a tota ...

. He played college football at

Southern Miss The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bac ...

where he was the only player in

Conference USA Conference USA (CUSA) is a collegiate athletic conference of member institutions in the Southern and Western United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports. CUSA's offices are located in Dallas, Texas. Mem ...

history to rush for over 1,000 yards in three seasons.

Early years

Nix grew up in

Attalla, Alabama Attalla is a city in Etowah County, Alabama, Etowah County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, the population was 6,048. History The town developed on the area of a former Muscogee people, Muscogee (Cre ...

. His father was a pastor and his older brother Tyrone played linebacker Southern Miss before becoming a coach. Nix attended Etowa High School where he was an all county selection as a senior. Nix was recruited by Alabama, Auburn, Georgia and Florida as a linebacker but he instead decided to commit to the

University of Southern Mississippi The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bac ...

as he wanted to play running back and his brother worked as an assistant coach at the school.

College career

As a freshman Nix ran for 1,180 yards and 9 touchdowns and was named a freshman All-American and the

freshman of the year. The following year in 1999 he ran for 1,054 yards while earning all-conference honors, helping the Golden Eagles win their second straight Conference USA title and finish ranked #14 in the AP Poll, the highest finish in school history. Nix missed most of the 2000 and 2001 seasons due to a kidney disease he developed after taking medication to recover from an ankle injury. He returned to the field as a senior in 2002 where ran for 1,194 yards and 11 touchdowns, making him the only player in Conference USA history to rush for 1,000 yards in three seasons. Nix was projected by NFL scouts as likely being a second or third round draft pick however he was forced to quit football prior to the Golden Eagles bowl game due to his kidney disease worsening and becoming life-threatening. He finished just 12 yards away from the program rushing record. Nix received a kidney transplant from his brother Marcus in 2003 and later sued

Pfizer Pfizer Inc. ( ) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Pharmaceutical industry, pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation headquartered at The Spiral (New York City), The Spiral in Manhattan, New York City. Founded in 184 ...

. and

Merck & Co Merck & Co., Inc. is an American Multinational corporation, multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in Rahway, New Jersey. The company does business as Merck Sharp & Dohme or MSD outside the United States and Canada. It is one of the ...

, the makers of the anti-inflammation drugs that caused his kidney disease. The lawsuit was settled out of court. Nix was named to the Conference USA team of the decade in 2006 and was inducted into the University of Southern Mississippi Alumni Association Sports Hall of Fame in 2013.

Coaching career

Nix began his coaching career in 2003 as a graduate assistant at Southern Miss under Jeff Bower. He was promoted to tight ends coach in 2004 and running backs coach in 2006. In 2008 he was named the running backs coach at

Ole Miss OLE, Ole or Olé may refer to: * Olé, a cheering expression used in Spain * Ole (name), a male given name, includes a list of people named Ole * Overhead lines equipment, used to transmit electrical energy to trams, trolleybuses or trains Co ...

, a position he would hold for twelve years. Upon the hiring of

Lane Kiffin Lane Monte Kiffin (born May 9, 1975) is an American football coach who is the head coach at Ole Miss Rebels football, Ole Miss. Kiffin was the offensive coordinator at USC Trojans football, USC from 2005 to 2006, head coach of the National Foo ...

in 2020, Nix became the Rebels wide receiver coach where he coached All-American

Elijah Moore Elijah Danilo Moore (born March 27, 2000) is an American professional football wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ole Miss Rebels and was selected by the New York Jets in ...

. In 2023 he was promoted to the team's associate head coach. In 2024 he left Ole Miss after 16 years to become the offensive coordinator at Auburn under

Hugh Freeze Danny Hugh Freeze Jr. (born September 27, 1969) is an American college football coach. Since 2023, he has served as the head coach for Auburn University. A successful high school football coach at Briarcrest Christian School in Memphis, Tenne ...

Personal life

Nix's older brother Tyrone Nix has served as the defensive coordinator at

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

and Ole Miss and is currently the defensive coordinator at Tarleton State.

References

External links

Auburn Tigers coaching bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nix, Derrick 1980 births Living people American football running backs Southern Miss Golden Eagles football players Southern Miss Golden Eagles football coaches Ole Miss Rebels football coaches Auburn Tigers football coaches Coaches of American football from Alabama Players of American football from Etowah County, Alabama African-American coaches of American football 21st-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen