Carl Nicks

One collector is trying to find a single signature from every man who ever played for the Jazz — all 370 of them, from the 1974 New Orleans team to today. For many of them, this page is the only one on the internet. Here is Carl Nicks: what he did on the floor, a few things most people never knew, and every card that carries his name. If you own something he signed — or you know who might — there is a note at the foot of this page.

Academic trouble nearly ended it early. A 1.6 GPA pushed Nicks from Indiana State to a Florida junior college, and he came back with a 3.5 and a purpose. Nicknamed Mr. Intensity, he ran alongside Larry Bird to the 1979 NCAA final, then averaged 26.8 points as a senior. Denver drafted him 23rd overall in 1980 and traded him to Utah that December, where he played through 1982.

After playing stops in France and Belgium he came home to coach and to serve, running a program for at-risk teenagers through an Indianapolis hospital before scouting for Bird's Pacers. Indiana State inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 2007 and retired his No. 22 in 2019.

HOW HE CAME & WENTDenver traded him to Utah for Billy McKinney in December 1980, two months into his rookie year. He played 80 of 82 games the next season, then the Jazz released him in 1982 and he finished with nine games in Cleveland.

Full name

Orlando Carl Nicks

Utah Jazz tenure

1980–82

Position

Guard

Born

1958, Chicago

Height

6′1″ (185 cm)

Weight

174 lb (79 kg)

College

Indiana State

Drafted

1980, 1st round (No. 23), Denver