effrey G. Nix ’80 had “hoop dreams.” He hoped to play professional basketball. But those dreams didn’t exactly materialize as he envisioned. The reality turned out even better. Nix is co-founder and president of Camouflage Kids. The national non-profit organization provides the children and spouses of active service military men and women with entire game day experiences at college sporting events across the country. “The idea is primarily for the kids to forget – even just for a day – that mom or dad is deployed and in a potentially dangerous situation,” says Nix. Each Camouflage Kids participant receives a ticket to the game, a backpack, t-shirt and wristband; a $100 value for a family of four. A pre-game tour takes children into the locker rooms, where they meet athletes and coaches. Prior to the start of each game, the military families in attendance are invited onto the court while the National Anthem is performed. “It may seem simple but the outings that Camouflage Kids offer are a big morale boost to families like ours,” says Lisa McGrath, wife of Army Capt. Scott A. McGrath and mother of Marlena, 13; Maximus, 8; and Maci, 4. She and her kids attended Camouflage Kids games at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Fort Carson, CO and at the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY. “The kids always have an amazing time,” adds McGrath, whose husband deploys to an undisclosed location in August. It will be his third deployment in nine years of active duty. “The best part is instead of the kids going home glum because their dad isn’t there, they go home with smiles on their faces.” Those smiles outshine anything Nix ever imagined for himself, on or off the court.
“Jeff is a leader. He can analyze a situation and put his assets together, offensively and defensively, whether it’s a game plan or life.”
From the time he was a child in Portville, NY, Nix lived and breathed basketball. Several colleges recruited him out of high school. Nix chose to bring his talents to the Canisius court, where he earned a full scholarship. Sophomore year, Nix suffered an injury during a game against Niagara and he thought his playing days were over. “I was a delusional player back then,” recalls Nix with a laugh. “I thought the coach wanted to get rid of me and my injury would give him the excuse he needed.”
The injury did sideline Nix’s playing career at Canisius but not his potential. Head Coach Nick Macarchuck recognized more than just athletic talent in Nix. He saw someone who understood the game, inside and out, and invited him to help coach the college’s junior varsity team. “I caught the coaching bug after that,” says Nix, who went on to become a playmaker for both collegiate and professional basketball teams.
- Richard “Digger” Phelps, ESPN analyst
Throughout his tenure, he served as an assistant basketball coach at The University of Notre Dame, Xavier (OH), Loyola (MD) and St. Francis University (PA). Nix coached five NCAA Tournaments and a National Invitational Tournament. His winning record earned him work as an assistant coach, assistant general manager and director of scouting with the New York Knickerbockers. He spent 15 years with the NBA (National Basketball Association) team, coached in two NBA Finals (1994 and 1999), and one NBA All-Star Game (2000). It was during Nix’s NBA career that he came up with the initial idea for Camouflage Kids. A coach and friend at the Air Force Academy told him how much the military children enjoyed playing during the Academy’s open gym time because it distracted them from the reality of their mothers and fathers deployed overseas. Nix wanted to do something for the children, so he purchased season tickets to Air Force Academy basketball games and donated them to its military families. “You would have thought I invented the tank, they were so excited,” laughs Nix. “I thought, ‘We have to find a way to help more families. We need to do this on a national scale.’”