The most successful women's basketball coach in McMurry history announced his resignation Thursday at a press conference. Sam Nichols departs McMurry after 12 seasons with the school and an impressive 199-114 record. He's accepted a position at local CBS affiliate KTAB where he formerly was a weatherman.

"I entered the coaching profession with a goal to try and make a difference in the lives of young through athletics," said Nichols. "Hopefully along the way I have been able to affect some people for the good and in a positive way."

Nichols won't leave basketball completely. This summer, for the ninth consecutive year, Nichols will lead the Basketball Smiles program, which is a summer mission that he and former players and coaches run every summer for the underprivileged children and teenagers of the Bahamas. Nichols runs free clinics for the inner-city youth and provides clothing, shoes, basketballs and life skills as well.

"We want to honor Sam and properly say thank you for his time with us," said athletic director Bill Libby. "When he came to McMurry we had a perennial losing program; very quickly coach Nichols turned the program around. We all owe a debt of gratitude for his time with us."

Nichols is McMurry's all-time winningest women's basketball coach and has taken the team to two straight NCAA Tournament appearances and led the team to a 50-8 record the past two seasons. All in all, nine of his 12 seasons at McMurry were winning ones and he reached the 20-win plateau three times.

The team set a school record for wins in 2005-2006 with 26 and began the season with an 18-0 start. That year, the team won its first outright American Southwest Conference West Division title and its first ever conference tournament championship. This past season, the team finished second in the ASC West and was the ASC Tournament runner-up. McMurry's NCAA tournament appearances the past two years were first-round losses to Hardin-Simmons in 2006 and Puget Sound in 2007. Nichols was named the ASC West Division Coach of the Year for the 2005-2006 season.

Throughout his career as a collegiate and high school women's basketball coach, Nichols posted a 637-300 record for a stunning .708 winning percentage.

Nichols was the fifth women's basketball coach in the school's history. The athletic department at McMurry will make plans for the transition in head coaches in the coming days.