Dickey Nutt

Dickey Nutt

  • Title:
    Special Assistant Coach for Student-Athlete Development
  • Email:
    d.nutt@csuohio.edu

Coaching veteran Dickey Nutt begins his second year on staff at Cleveland State as a special assistant to the head coach with an emphasis on student-athlete development. He was appointed to the position by Cleveland State head coach Dennis Gates in August 2019.

Nutt has over 30 years of experience coaching at the Division I level, including a combined 19 seasons as a head coach at both Arkansas State (1995-2008) and Southeast Missouri State (2009-15). Prior to his arrival at Cleveland State, Nutt was an assistant coach at Stetson during the 2018-19 season and served for three seasons as the video coordinator at Florida State.

“Dickey Nutt gives us a coaching veteran who is passionate about student-athlete and staff development,” Gates said. “We are lucky to have hired someone of his stature who is so well connected in this business.  He will implement our student-athlete development program called Leaders Yearning For Excellence (LYFE) and move us forward in community service.”

The 1998 Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year at Arkansas State, Nutt guided the then-Indians to 189 wins, two Sun Belt championships, one divisional title, and the program’s only NCAA Tournament appearance in 1999. In 2009, Nutt was named as head coach at SEMO, where twice led the Redhawks to a second-place finish in the Ohio Valley Conference. During his tenure in Cape Girardeau, Mo., SEMO annually ranked among the nation’s top offensive teams, with the 2013-14 squad finishing second nationally in field-goal percentage (.499).

In his three seasons at FSU, Nutt helped lead the Seminoles to 73 victories and a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances (2017, 2018), including an Elite Eight appearance last year. And while he enjoyed his time on staff in Tallahassee, Nutt was anxious to get back on the court and the recruiting trail.

“I feel so fortunate and honored to be a part of Coach Gates staff at Cleveland State University,” said Nutt. “I’ve seen firsthand his work ethic, his love for young people, game preparation and his masterful recruiting ability. I’m excited to go to work and follow Coach Gates in building a championship program on, and off, the court.”

A native of Little Rock, Ark., Nutt is a 1982 graduate of Oklahoma State. He began his collegiate coaching career at Stillwater (Okla.) High School before joining the staff at OSU, where he worked for current FSU head coach Leonard Hamilton, and worked alongside current Kansas head coach Bill Self. Two years later, Nutt moved on to become an assistant coach at Arkansas State before being named head coach at ASU in 1995.

Nutt is the second of four sons, all of whom have had a hand in collegiate athletics throughout their careers.

Dickey’s older brother, Houston, is currently a college football studio analyst for CBS. Prior to becoming a television analyst, he was head football coach at Ole Miss, Murray State, Boise State, and Arkansas. His younger brother, Danny, served as an assistant athletics director for player development at Ole Miss during Houston’s head coaching tenure, and was the running backs coach at Arkansas and Eastern Illinois. Dickey’s youngest brother, Dennis, worked as a head basketball coach for Texas State for six years before becoming a scout for the Charlotte Bobcats (now Hornets). Dennis also played in the NBA for the Dallas Mavericks. Currently he is the head coach of men’s basketball at Division II Ouachita Baptist in Arkadelphia, Ark.

Nutt has two sons and a daughter. Logan is a high school basketball head coach in Missouri, and Lucas runs 3:16 Athletics Training Center. Lexis is an aspiring actress, and had a part in the Ben Affleck movie Gone Girl.

Nutt holds a Master of Science degree in athletic administration and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in physical education, both from Oklahoma State University.