Coach Nissalke: A Man Still of Many Words

If you’ve been around the block as much as former Utah Jazz coach Tom Nissalke has, you would have as many experiences as there is Chuck Norris jokes in the world. When Nissalke came to speak to my Sports Journalism class up at the U to share stories and give insight about what they would need to help them progress in achieving their goals, I got the opportunity to speak to one of the key figures in starting pro basketball here in Salt Lake City. Being on both sides with the media and being a coach, he is very knowledgeable and knows what it takes to be a good writer in the media and how to handle the media. Nissalke emphasized that good writers have their sources and are always full of knowledge about a subject. “If you don’t do your homework, you will stick out like a sore thumb. Be sure to do your background work.” Nissalke would know this best since he dealt with the media as a coach for 35 years and has been working with local Utah sports radio station 1320 KFAN to breakdown Jazz games. A great example that Nissalke brought up as a guy who does his homework was play-by-play voice for the Jazz, David Locke. “He’s one guy I’ve worked with that never shuts up. But the man knows it all. There’s no other on our coverage team that has the insight and material he brings to the table. He got to where he is now because of all the homework he did.” When asked what he believed his biggest achievement was throughout his career, coach did not hesitate one bit. It wasn’t winning a championship as an assistant coach with the 1971 Milwaukee Bucks. It’s not either of his coach of the year awards from the ABA and NBA. It was being honored by the YMCA for his contributions in raising money for the YMCA that included after school programs. It meant a lot to him, especially after his wife lost a battle with cancer about five years ago. “She would’ve been proud of me and loved the work that I did for the community.” It seems as if the 78 year old hasn’t lost a beat and still loves covering the NBA. To him, the league hasn’t changed very much at all since the time he was coaching to what the league is now today. “The skill is the same, the stars are the same, and the operation is the same for the most part.” My favorite Nissalke story will still be and always be when the owner of the San Antonio Spurs was scowling and pointing at him for a loss or poor coaching decision that the owner believe Nissalke made. Nissalke simply took his finger firmly in his grasp and easily broke it. He was later fired by the organization. Nissalke will continue to give his insight this season for every Jazz game on 1320 KFAN during pre-game, halftime, and post-game.