June 13, 2008

Eric Nichols has been named Director of Marketing for the University of South Carolina Athletics Department, Athletics Director Eric Hyman announced today.

Nichols will oversee all aspects of athletics marketing and serve as the marketing liaison to the athletics ticket office, website and video production, as well as Gamecock Sports Properties, Barnes and Noble merchandising, university licensing and communications and Global Spectrum.

“We conducted a national search and Eric really impressed everyone he met with in the department,” said Hyman. “Eric’s ideas and creativeness have made a major impact at Vanderbilt and we look forward to him having the same impact with South Carolina Athletics.”

Nichols comes to Carolina following a successful stint at Vanderbilt University, where he served as the athletic department’s Director of Marketing and Promotions since January of 2004.

Under his guidance, net ticket revenue grew 50 percent in four years, adding millions of dollars to Vanderbilt’s athletic bottom line. Season football ticket sales doubled to an 11-year high-water mark in 2007 despite the team not having a winning record in this window of time. Men’s basketball games and baseball games were sold out on a season basis and the 2007-08 women’s basketball average attendance also jumped from 33rd in the country to 17th.

The 34-year old Nichols also created the highly popular “Vandyville” promotion, a pre-game football village of tailgates and activities.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to join such a premier institution as the University of South Carolina and I cannot contain my excitement for becoming part of the Gamecock family,” said Nichols. “I look forward to meeting each and every South Carolina fan and doing my part to continue building the best program in the country.”

Nichols has been at Vanderbilt since 1998, starting as an assistant director of facilities but quickly working his way upward as his talents were recognized. He was Director of Game Operations from 2000-2002 before being promoted to Director of Online Services, a position he held for two years. His outstanding work with the department’s official website led to his promotion to Director of Marketing in 2004.

Nichols served on the athletic department’s Senior Administrative Team, the University’s Executive Communications Council and was an adjunct professor at Belmont University’s Master of Sport Administration program. He is a graduate of Leadership Vanderbilt, a member of the American Marketing Association, the United Way of Middle Tennessee Marketing Committee, has spoken at the NACDA Conference (2007) and has completed an Executive Leadership Class at Vanderbilt’s Owen School of Business. He has a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from the University of Tennessee-Martin, where he also spent time as a graduate assistant coach for women’s volleyball.

Eric and his wife Christina have a daughter, Grace, age 3.