Senior Spotlight: Dakwa Nichols

RALEIGH, N.C. - "Manage your time wisely."

It can be argued that truer words have never been spoken, and it is the advice NC State senior running back Dakwa Nichols gives to aspiring student-athletes who hope to one day participate in collegiate athletics.

The Rockingham native knows this better than most, as he is currently interning with North Carolina Senior Games, located just down the road from Carter-Finley Stadium, combining this significant commitment with playing football.

The Wolfpack typically practices until 11:45 a.m. each morning. While others are rushing to class afterward, Nichols, who graduated on May 13, is rushing to his internship. He works from 1:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. each day, and was working until 8:00 p.m. at one point but had to cut back, as he was regularly not having time for lunch and losing weight. On top of practice, he also has lifting and position group meetings, so he truly practices what he preaches in terms of time-management.

His experience working with the NC Senior Games has been a highly enjoyable and useful one for Nichols.

"It's been really cool so far, most of the time I'm doing a lot of inventory, paper filing and things like that" he explained. "The Games are actually happening now so it's extremely busy. We're preparing for the upcoming events such as table tennis, track and field and swimming. It's going to be very cool once I get to start working the actual events."

Along with time management, Nichols has learned many other skills that will help him in his professional career, as well as his life in general.

"I met a lot of people through football, and this has further taught me how to develop my networking skills" he said. "Being around my supervisor, Miss Lynn Harrell, has taught me a lot of great skills. I've learned a lot from her to help me get ready for the next step in my career. She's absolutely great and has taught me a lot. She's taught me everything I need to know about how the organization works and it's going to help me a lot for my life after football.

Nichols also got a first-hand lesson in time-management from his parents, as his dad Theodore Nichols, a deli manager at a Food Lion, and his mom Della Nichols, a truck driver, worked long hours while raising him along with his three siblings, older sister Destiny, older brother Brendan and younger sister Diamond.

He is extremely close with his family, and outside of football tries to spend as much time with them and his girlfriend as possible. It was actually his dad who got him involved in football, although the method he used was quite unconventional.

"I started playing football when I was eight or nine," he explained. "My dad actually tricked me into playing football. He told me we were going out to get some ice cream so I went with him, but then we pulled up to a football field and I saw all these kids. I'm glad it happened because I fell in love with it."

It was that moment that laid the foundations that would lead Nichols to NC State, and throughout his time here he has formed a close bond with his running backs coach, Des Kitchings.

"He's taught me a lot about life not only on the field football field, but off of it too," he articulated. "He's extremely smart and has taught me a lot on the football field. I can see how my pass blocking and overall game has improved, as well as my overall knowledge of football. As far as things after football, he's strict on academics. His door is always open for us, which I really like about him."

Kitchings knows Nichols better than most.

"Dakwa is a tough, quiet competitor on the field" he said. "Off the field, he's a low-key guy who stays out of trouble, who enjoys playing video games and spending time with his family."

Along with Kitchings, Nichols views the entire coaching staff as role models and as men who he admires.

"Every coach here is different, but the thing I like is how seriously they take their craft," he said. "They're in here from the early morning until late at night studying and trying to develop more knowledge of the game and impart it on us so we can execute on game day. That's what I like. Putting us in the best position to make plays. They have a ton of knowledge and a ton of experience, if you really want to know about football you can talk to any of them."

As well as learning from the coaching staff, there is one other memory that stands out for Nichols during his time at NC State.

"Stepping onto the field to play in a game for the very first time when played the University of South Florida in Tampa," he said. "Even though it was for eight or nine plays, those plays meant a lot and it was my first time getting actual games reps. I loved it and it helped me to find more ways to get on the field."

He struggled to find words to describe the feeling he felt knowing his family, along with several others, were watching him on TV.

Post-football, Nichols has an extremely bright future that includes a couple different options.

"At one point I wanted to become a certified personal trainer," he explained. "It's either do that or get into coaching. I have a good network between my old high school coach and different family members who are coaching at the high school level."

Having already mastered the art of time-management, whatever path Nichols chooses to go down will be adding a young man the NC State football team is proud to call one of its own.

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