The Health, Human Performance and Athletic building at Linfield University welcomes hundreds of visitors daily. Some are on their way to the weight room, some to a classroom but many visit with a question. Whether the question is on football ticket sales, invoices for coaches or uniform orders, Mary Jo Nichols has the answer.

Nichols is familiar with the McMinnville community, moving to the town in second grade, and just recently moving south to Dallas.

After completing grade school, Nichols’ first career ambition was to be an elementary school teacher, but her older brother convinced her otherwise.

“He had been teaching a couple years, but he told me teaching would make me bring work back home, and not to go down that path,” Nichols said.

With that sage advice, Nichols decided to pursue the business path. After her high school graduation, she enrolled in the Western Oregon Business School in Salem.

Fresh out of school, Nichols started her first job at Evergreen Helicopters, as a helicopter operations manager in 1980, and moved back to McMinnville

After 35 years, the company relocated to southern Oregon, and Nichols was left to look for another job.

After just a few weeks of being unemployed, in August 2019, Nichols learned the spot of administrative support coordinator was open at Linfield, a position she has a strong connection to.

Nichols’ mother, Joan Rutschman, served as the administrative support coordinator while Nichols’ dad, Ad Rutschman, was the athletic director at Linfield.

The Rutschman family is considered a gem in the Linfield athletic department, and dedications to Nichols’ father can be seen all around campus.

Ad Rutschman led a showstopping coaching career at Linfield, and left his name in the history books by being the only college coach at any level to win national titles in both football and baseball.

Out of Hillsboro high school, Rutschman turned down an offer from the Detroit Lions, determined to teach and coach the sports he loved. He started out at Linfield as the head football coach in 1967, leading the team to three NAIA championships and 15 conference titles.

Four years later, Rutschman picked up the head baseball coaching job at Linfield, and led them to a national championship title in his first year.

In 1973, Rutschman moved into the athletic director position, and continued that job throughout the next 25 years, as he continued to coach football and baseball at Linfield. During his time coaching, Ad had the opportunity to coach his three sons in both sports, carrying on his legacy.

Even today, the Rutschman name can be found on the big stage, with Rutschman’s grandson, Ad Rutschman, as a catcher for the Baltimore Orioles.

Throughout the time of her father coaching and leading teams to championships, Nichols’ mother worked right outside his door, from 1970 to 1995.

“She would always say to me, ‘This would be the perfect job for you’,” said Nichols. “So when this opportunity came up and I was out of a job, I knew it was meant to be.”

Nichols’ mother died in 2016, a few years before she got the job, but in many ways, Nichols feels she is representing her mother, sitting in her chair each day.

“When I first started cleaning this office out, I would find forms and notes with my mother’s handwriting on them, it makes me feel closer to her,” said Nichols.

Nichols is thrilled for the start of each school year, as it brings her favorite, football season.

“There’s just a buzz, it’s such a vibrant time and that’s so exciting,” said Nichols. “I started this job right before football season, in mid-August, and I was figuring stuff out on my own.”

In her daily tasks, Nichols works most with accounting for coaches and teams, but is eager to go to work each day simply because of the company.

“It doesn’t even feel like coming to work,” Nichols said. “The people and students are wonderful, it’s just a wonderful environment to be in.”

The sentiment is not just shared by Nichols, but everyone who works with her as well. In the HHPA, many students work throughout the building, helping run weight rooms, open gyms or picking up additional workloads from busy staff members.

Ella Koebelin, a junior on the women’s basketball team, has been working with Nichols since the fall of her sophomore year. Koebelin, a sports management major from Bremerton, Washington, helps Nichols out with errands, grabbing mail, filing receipts or prepping concession stands for football games.

While Koebelin only spends around eight hours a week working with Nichols, the junior recognizes the effort and appreciation Nichols has for each work study student, and her ability to make them feel at home.

“She’s incredibly supportive of us, anytime we have sports or school stuff she gives us a lesser load to make sure we’re on top of it,” said Koebelin. “I just injured myself, and she always offers to bring me food or snacks, and to call her if I ever need anything.”

With the caring and warm environment that Nichols provides in her office, students are eager to work for her, and many apply through word of mouth, such as sophomore Allison Mead.

Mead, a finance major from Canby, heard about the opportunity through Koebelin, her teammate. Mead has worked there for only a month, but has already experienced Nichols’ welcoming nature that she brings to work each day.

“I love her, she’s so accommodating,” said Mead. “I feel comfortable asking her any question, and she has been so helpful through everything.”

Although she is a new addition to the work-study team, Mead hopes to stay on board throughout the remainder of her time at Linfield.

Nichols cherishes the time she spends in her office and at Linfield, with a constant reminder of her roots.

“I love helping anyone out. This is a pretty cool job at the end of my career, because of that connection to my mom and family,” said Nichols.