Ten years before he pitched for Auburn, and even before his 10th birthday, Joe Beckwith was introduced to the hard edge Paul Nix brought to the ballpark day after day.

“He was hard-nosed, but players liked to play for him and they gave the most for him and the team,” said Beckwith, an Auburn pitcher from 1973-76 and an eight-year Major Leaguer. “He got more out of players than really their ability allowed because of the way he coached and his style of coaching.”

Nix, Auburn’s longest tenured baseball coach, who also led the team to two College World Series berths from 1963-84, died Monday at the age of 76.

Nix is survived by his wife Gwen, two children — daughter Paula Nix Hooks and son Gary — along with three brothers Gordon, Tim and Mike.

“Paul Nix was a great Auburn man and we are extremely saddened by his passing,” AU Athletics Director Jay Jacobs said.

“He laid a strong foundation for our baseball program and brought it national recognition with Auburn’s first-ever College World Series appearance. He was well respected by his players and developed many that went on to have successful careers in and outside of baseball.”

Nix went 515-376 during his 22-year reign as Auburn’s baseball coach. Along with trips to the College World Series in 1967 and 1976, Nix led the team to three SEC championships, one SEC Tournament title and six SEC Divisional titles. He was named the SEC Coach of the Year five times.

“Coach Nix elevated this program to new heights during his 22 years as the head coach at Auburn,” current Tigers baseball coach John Pawlowski said. “This is a tremendous loss for the Auburn family.”

But the memories of Nix go far beyond wins and losses.

Beckwith first met Nix when he was the team’s batboy and only 8 years old. Beckwith’s responsibilities also included maintaining the old, tile-faced scoreboard in right field, which required his attention between every half-inning.

One day, Beckwith recalled, he decided to put zeros on every slot under every inning before the start of the game — an attempt to minimize his workload and mimic the scoreboard at legendary Wrigley Field.

Nix wouldn’t have any of that.

“Coach Nix said ‘Boy, what are you doing to that scoreboard,’” Beckwith said. “‘The game hasn’t even begun yet. Get your butt back up there and take those numbers down.’”

That edge didn’t sway when Beckwith joined Q.V. Lowe as the Tigers’ one-two punch during Nix’s second run to the College World Series. Beckwith remembered the grueling practices, where Nix required the pitchers to run sprints for what seemed like hours on end.

“It made you hate the guy, but then it made you love him,” Beckwith said. “He was the type you’d expect to get dirty or dive head-first into a base. He just drove everybody. He expected 100 percent out of everybody and that’s what he got.”

Born on Sept. 4, 1932, and a native of Greenville, Nix was head baseball coach and an assistant football and basketball coach at Troy State for six seasons before coming to Auburn. He played baseball at Troy until 1952 before embarking on a brief minor-league career.

When Nix retired from the college game after the 1984 season, he had won more games than any other active SEC baseball coach, and his 217 SEC wins were the most by any conference coach. He is currently ranked 10th on the SEC all-time wins list.

His tough-guy attitude on the field helped pave the way toward those accolades. Off the field, though, Nix was remembered as a kind-hearted husband and father.

“They were the first people I knew to have a swimming pool,” friend of the family and longtime Auburn resident Ron Anders said. “He was very gracious to let a group of rough-house kids come over and do cannonballs and splash around.

“He was very kind to us.”

During his final weeks at the Hospice of Bethany House at the East Alabama Medical Center, as a number of former players stopped by for a final visit, Nix wanted to talk baseball.

“He just had a great memory,” Beckwith said. “All he wanted to talk about were the old times, down to certain games and situations.”

Visitation will be Wednesday from 6-8 p.m. at Jeffcoat-Trant Funeral Home in Opelika with the service being held on Thursday at Auburn United Methodist Church at 2 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Bethany House in Nix’s honor.

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