Bio

Debbie (Adams) Nittler has done a little bit of everything at Cowley College. From excelling as an athlete, coaching, teaching, advising, serving as an assistant athletic director, and running the clock or working the score book at Tiger basketball and volleyball games, there is not much she has not done. In recognition of her efforts, she will be inducted into the Tiger Athletic Hall of Fame on January 27, 2018.

Nittler will join her sister, Linda Hargrove, and brother-in-laws, Ed Hargrove and John Woodworth, in the Tiger Athletic Hall of Fame.

“It is an honor to be inducted into the Tiger Athletic Hall of Fame and to join my sister and two brother-in-laws in it,” Nittler said. “To be a part of that group does not come around very often.”

Nittler was born in Anthony, KS, and moved to Udall at the age of 4. It was while growing up in Udall that her love for competition began.

“If we were not helping with the farming we were playing some kind of sport,” Nittler said.

Nittler attended Udall High School where she participated in volleyball, basketball, and track and field. She led the Udall volleyball team to the state tournament in 1972 and 1973 and followed that up by leading the Eagles to the first state basketball tournament in 1973.

The Udall volleyball team placed fourth at the state tournament in 1972 and third in 1973, while the Lady Eagles basketball team placed fourth at its state tournament appearance.

The Udall volleyball and girls basketball teams were coached by Marilyn (Dale) Blevins.

“She is probably the reason I got into coaching,” Nittler said.

Nittler also credits Blevins and her late husband, Dick, with getting her to enjoy the game of golf, which is her current passion.

Nittler also excelled at throwing the shot put at Udall as she qualified for state in the event.

After her stellar high school career, Nittler was recruited by Wichita State University and Southwestern College, but ultimately decided to come to Cowley College and play for her sister, Linda Hargrove.

At Cowley, she participated in basketball, volleyball, softball, tennis, and track and field. All of which were coached by Linda.

“Playing for her brought us closer together,” Nittler said. “I loved the competition and being a part of a team.”

Nittler excelled on the basketball court, averaging 19.1 points per game as a sophomore. Her single-season scoring average was a school-record that lasted over 17 years. If her 19.1 scoring average was projected out over a 31 game schedule, which is a minimum played today, she would be fourth on Cowley’s all-time single season scoring list. She did all this before the three-point shot was in effect.

“Long distance shooting along with her work ethic and competitive nature was her strength,” Linda Hargrove said. 

Nittler was also an involved student at Cowley as she was President of the Tiger Action Club, was a semifinalist for Queen Alalah and Homecoming Queen, and was involved in the Student Government Association and cheerleading. She was named the recipient of the Outstanding College Athlete of America Award and was named Who’s Who among American Students.

Nittler loved her time as a student-athlete at Cowley.

“I did not want to be a number at a larger school. At Cowley you can get as good of an education or better at a lot cheaper price,” Nittler said. “What a great step Cowley was for me. Coming from a small high school Cowley enabled me to be involved in numerous activities.”

After Cowley, she accepted an athletic scholarship to play basketball at Southwestern College. While at Southwestern, she helped the Lady Builders capture the conference title and received a Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education with a minor in Biology in 1978.

In 1984, Nittler came back to Cowley College after teaching for six years at Douglass High School. She was hired to work in admissions, teach, and be an assistant coach of three sports.

“Marilyn (Blevins) and my love of sports led me into coaching,” Nittler said. “I wanted to give kids an opportunity to learn a sport.”

She took over for Linda as head volleyball coach in 1986 and led the program through 2001. She remains the all-time winningest coach in the history of the program with 389 wins.

“Linda made the transition easy,” Nittler said.

On Nittler’s 60th birthday she had a reunion with many of her former players.

“I enjoyed the relationships I built with the players and was proud to watch the players go on and be successful,” Nittler said.

She began serving as a full-time instructor at Cowley College in 1986 and is still teaching at the school today. She has had many accomplishments as an instructor as well, having been named a Department Chair for the Social Science Department, Cowley Education Association (CEA) President and chief negotiator, and named a Master Teacher and Presenter at the NISOD Conference.

She started and was the first director of the Cowley Wellness Center, and served as the College’s assistant athletic director from 2001-2007.

Since retiring from coaching in 2001, Nittler has run the clock or kept the score book at Cowley basketball and volleyball games. She was named the Tiger Booster Club Booster of the Year in 2014.

“I have had the opportunity to do a lot of things at Cowley,” Nittler said.

Nittler’s daughter, Lindsey (Davis) Floyd, also attended Cowley and was an All-American softball pitcher that helped the Lady Tigers make its first-ever national tournament appearance in the 2001 season. Lindsey still ranks in the top-10 in several pitching categories at Cowley.

Along with Lindsey, Deb and her husband, Randy, have two other children, Adam and Ali.

Looking back, Linda Hargrove said Nittler was the first “really good” basketball player she had an opportunity to coach.

“She set the standard of excellence that the women’s basketball program has enjoyed over the past 40 years,” Hargrove said. She didn’t make All-American or go to a national tournament because those opportunities did not yet exist, but make no mistake about it, she was one of the best to ever play here.”