University of Findlay

During a 26-year career as a men’s basketball coach at The University of Findlay, Ron Niekamp became one of the handful of names which donate coaching excellence at UF. During his next-to-last season in 2008-2009, the Oilers won the men’s National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) II National Championship while compiling a 36-0 record, placing a capstone on Niekamp’s brilliant run of 598 wins and 185 losses at Findlay. Niekamp was named the National Coach of the Year by both the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and the Division II Bulletin and Basketball Times publication in 2009. He has also earned Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Coach of the Year on five occasions (2003, 2005-2007, 2009), NCAA Division II Midwest Coach of the Year three times (200, 2007, 2009) and Columbus Dispatch Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year twice (2005 and 2009).

The much-decorated Niekamp was inducted into the “Cradle of Coaches” at Miami University (Ohio) in 2004 and the Hancock County Sports Hall of Fame in 2005. The NCAA II championship coach while guided his teams to nine consecutive NCAA tournament appearances and two Elite Eight Appearances forged his craft at the lower ranks. Niekamp was the head boys’ basketball coach at three Ohio high schools; Lima Senior for six years, Ottawa-Glandorf for five years and Parkway for two years. At Findlay, he served dually as the director of athletics for 11 years. Presently, Niekamp serves as an instructor at UF. Niekamp resides in Findlay with his wife, Doris, and has four children – Arnie, Julie, Sherry, and Allie, as well as three grandchildren.