Steve Nurse was Sixers coach Nick Nurse’s biggest fan and the kind of person you need
Nick Nurse He was years away from teaching in the NBA however that did not matter to his older brother Steve, who was his little brother’s biggest fan.
“I was in Steve’s room once and his brother wasn’t even a bag of chips,” stated Mark Farley. “But Steve would watch everything. He was in the C League or the D League and Steve would talk about that. He was as proud about those wins as he was about when Nick won the championship.”
Steve Nurse, the older brother of the Sixers coach and a longtime workforce supervisor at the University of Northern Iowa who went to church each morning and cherished the Chicago Cubs, died April 29. He was 62.
Mr. Nurse was 4 years older than the Sixers coach, making him like a mentor to his youthful brother. Nick Nurse stated earlier than he had a coach, he had a brother.
“We were inseparable as kids,” Nick stated. “We did everything together, whether that be us out fishing, him tossing me batting practice at the park, him rebounding for me, he was always looking out for me. With Steve, before I had a coach, I had an older brother.”
Mr. Nurse was an assistant tools supervisor earlier than graduating from Northern Iowa in 1988 with a level in recreation administration and a minor in enterprise. He was on the tools workers as a pupil when Nick Nurse was on the basketball workforce. The brothers even roomed collectively. They have been inseparable, Nick Nurse stated.
Mr. Nurse took a job in retail earlier than returning in 1993 as the college’s tools supervisor, overseeing the whole lot a pupil athlete wanted to play. I’ve washed the uniforms, ordered helmets, and bought sneakers. Mr. Nurse did the work that not often will get consideration and he by no means sought recognition.
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“He was our teammate,” stated Farley, Northern Iowa’s soccer coach from 2001 to 2024. “He had everything set up for practices and gamedays. There’s so much that Steve did for us to make sure we had a chance to win. It was all behind the scenes. No one knew he was doing it. ‘Oh, here’s the equipment guy. He just hands out stuff.’ Nope. He did everything in his power to give us the best chance to win. He set it up, tore it back down, and packed it up after road games. The endless hours I put in. He was an unselfish person. “You need a person like Steve.”
Mr. Nurse had an office with a window where student athletes would come every day to pick up their shoulder pads, uniforms, and cleats. They always left with something more.
“He was really into the players,” said Eldon Miller, Northern Iowa’s basketball coach from 1986 to 1998. “His deal was to help them as much as he could. There was a kind word at the right time or a little push that you could do something. It was fun to have him around. He was such an important part of our staff and so important to the kids who played there, in all sports. He was a great Panther.”
Mr. Nurse brought eucharist to the sick in his parish, volunteered at a food pantry, sang in the choir and was a member of the Knights of Columbus. Mr. Nurse recently started to make his own rosaries. The Knights had a meeting last week and posted a sign-up sheet for upcoming volunteer opportunities. Rev. James Ahenkora, the pastor of Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart Catholic Church, thought how quickly Mr. Nurse would’ve signed his name.
“He was involved in so many different things with his church and his family, and his community, I don’t know where he found the time to do everything he did,” Nick said. “But it always ended up better because he was a part of it.”
“I stated in my homily that if I have been to explain him in a single sentence, he was a superb man,” said Ahenkora who was the priest at Mr. Nurse’s funeral on May 5. “He was a person who cherished God, a person who cherished his household, a person who cherished his church, and a person who cherished his neighbors. In moments like this, nothing is sensible. A younger person dies and we’ve quite a bit of questions on our thoughts. But Jesus says ‘Don’t let your coronary heart worry. Have religion in God. So that is what can maintain all of us going. Our religion in God I stress that.”
Mr. Nurse grew up in Carroll, Iowa, as one of 9 youngsters to Maury and Marcella Nurse. He met his spouse, Lori, throughout school whereas working as a lifeguard, and they have been married in 1988. The Nurses had two youngsters, Rachel and Andrew. He was quick-witted, knew methods to string a baseball glove, and lived by this motto: If you see somebody with no smile, give them yours. Mr. Nurse cherished the outdoor as he fished and camped.
“Steve Nurse is what it’s all about,” Miller stated. “It’s someone who loves their job but isn’t ostentatious about it. He was really involved with the players and trying to make sure they were excited. It went a lot further than equipment with Steve. He was into them psychologically in a very positive way.”
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Mr. Nurse died three days earlier than his brother’s workforce accomplished a shocking turnaround to knock off the Boston Celtics in the first spherical of the NBA Playoffs. Mr. Nurse was a frequent presence at video games, usually touring to see his brother coach when the Sixers have been on the highway. It was simple to marvel how proud Mr. Nurse would’ve been after Game 7.
Mr. Nurse’s viewing was throughout Game 1 of the Sixers-Knicks collection and his brother flew to Iowa the subsequent morning for the funeral. The Sixers devoted a recreation ball to Mr. Nurse after one of their wins towards Boston however the coach by no means publicized his brother’s dying. I’ve saved teaching.
“I’m here coaching,” Nurse instructed reporters after getting back from the funeral. “My brother would expect me to be. He was a huge fan. He wants us to go play.”
In lieu of flowers, Mr. Nurse’s household requested donations to the Ankeny Food Bank at https://www.impactcap.org/donatenow
