William James Nicks (August 2, 1905 – November 2, 1999) was an American college football player and coach.

Nicks served as the head football coach at Morris Brown College in Georgia (1930–1935, 1937–1939, 1941–1942) and at Prairie View A&M University in Texas (1945–1947, 1952–1965).

[1] Nicks took first collegiate head coaching position at his alma mater, Morris Brown College in Atlanta, Georgia.

This was partly because he had the pick of nearly every good black high school player in Texas in the days of segregation.

[4] While the end of Jim Crow caused a severe talent drain for HBCUs, Nicks was able to stem the tide for a time.