Women's Basketball Coach (1981-2005)
Nick Keith’s coaches made an indomitable impression on him throughout his childhood, so he always dreamed of having the same impact on others’ lives.
Keith lived his dream for 24 seasons while spearheading the Southeastern Oklahoma State women’s basketball team leading it to six national tournament appearances while finishing as the national finalists three times between the NAIA and NCAA’s Division II.
He was born in Ada, Okla. on Feb. 7, 1941, but his family moved to Atoka the following year where he attended all 12 years of school before graduating in 1958.
Keith was a standout basketball and baseball player in high school and earned a scholarship to play baseball at Wichita State.
He spent one semester there before he got homesick and returned to Oklahoma on a basketball scholarship for the legendary Bloomer Sullivan at Southeastern Oklahoma State before earning his degree in 1963.
That was a start of his beautiful relationship with the university and the community of Durant.
After spending 15 years coaching boys’ basketball in Albuquerque, N.M. and back in his hometown of Atoka, Keith returned to Durant to manage the city’s country club.
Soon, he was back at Southeastern and coaching women for the first time in his life and it was a natural fit.
Keith compiled 402 wins while winning more than 60 percent of his games in 24 seasons at Southeastern.
His teams reached five-straight NAIA Division I National Tournaments and finished as national finalists in 1995 and 1996.
After making the move to the NCAA, Keith led the Lady Savages on an improbable run through the Division II National Tournament by winning five consecutive games to advance to the national final game before falling to Cal Poly Pomona.
Nick Keith’s devotion and care for student-athletes at Southeastern Oklahoma State University is unparalleled in his profession. He brought great honor and is a source of pride for the university. On February 3, 2007, Southeastern Oklahoma State University honored him with induction into the Athletic Hall of Fame.
