Duquesne's Norm Nixon, Debbie Allen return to Pittsburgh to celebrate Cooper Fieldhouse
Norm Nixon will be back on the basketball court for Duquesne University.
The former star point guard for the Dukes and first-round draft pick by the Los Angeles Lakers is part of the team for “An Evening With the Stars” on Saturday.
It’s the first major event at the university’s UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse, a 3,500-seat multipurpose arena on campus that debuted in February.
It’s named for Chuck Cooper, a Duquesne legend who was the first African American drafted in the NBA.
“Yes, it will be my first time on the new court and I am looking forward to it, but I won’t be playing,” Nixon said. “I will be part of the performance.”
Nixon will take center stage with wife Debbie Allen, an Emmy Award-winning choreographer, actress, producer, writer and director. She played Lydia Grant on the television show “Fame,” which ran from 1982-87.
He and Allen met during the filming of “The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh,” a 1979 movie about a struggling Pittsburgh basketball team.
Nixon and Allen are in the movie. She also choreographed some of it.
He was a rookie for the Lakers and returned to Pittsburgh for filming. He and Allen became friends on the set. Now married, they live in Santa Monica, Calif.
“She went to New York and moved to ‘Fame,’ and I went back to Los Angeles,” he said. “We stayed in touch, and I realized I had more fun with her than any of the other women I was dating.”
The evening at Duquesne starts at 7 p.m. and will feature music, drama and discussion that showcases Pittsburgh’s contributions to cultural life.
Performances will pay tribute to the late Pittsburgh playwright August Wilson and feature his widow, Tony Award-nominated costume designer Constanza Romero Wilson, and Stephen McKinley Henderson, award-winning Broadway and film actor.
Romero Wilson, who lives in Seattle, Wash., will receive an honorary degree. She is the executive director of August Wilson Legacy LLC, a costume designer and artist who collaborates on August Wilson productions. She will read one of her late husband’s poems.
Duquesne President Ken Gormley reached out to Romero Wilson.
“He forged a connection between Duquesne University and the August Wilson House to help preserve its legacy,” Romero Wilson said, referring to Wilson’s childhood home in the Hill District, which is a cultural center. “He dreamed of this evening.”
She said any time she has an opportunity to visit Wilson’s birthplace, she will because she feels close to him when she’s here.
“Every single step I take, I feel his presence,” she said.
Romero Wilson said she hasn’t met Nixon but admires his dedication to his alma mater.
“It shows that if you have a fantastic college career, you will gain the loyalty and trust forever,” she said. “I am that way.”
Nixon said Gormley and the university have always been welcoming.
“Duquesne and Pittsburgh hold a special place with me,” Nixon said. “I grew up a lot there and had so much support from my coaches and teammates and everyone at the university.”
He recalled playing home games at the Civic Arena and always enjoyed the rivalry with the University of Pittsburgh.
His professional career included many a pass to teammate Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, watching his famous hook shot from the top of the key.
Nixon doesn’t suit up anymore, but he has trained professional players such as Jalen Rose and Chris Webber. He said LeBron James is a beast and Shaquille O’Neal is a “sweet guy.”
Nixon met the late Kobe Bryant when Bryant got drafted. Nixon played against Bryant’s father, “who was a very good player.”
Nixon said he is a “fan of the game and I love to see guys who put in the work and I have respect for them.”
“Basketball is more than a game to me,” said Nixon, who averaged 17.4 points and six assists in his four-year career at Duquesne. “In my era with so much segregation, a way to get out of the neighborhood was through the military or an athletic scholarship. Duquesne and coach (John) Cinicola gave me an opportunity to play basketball and get a good education.”
Nixon has degrees in general science and math. His connection to Wilson is he is friends with Denzel Washington, who has produced film versions of Wilson’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and “Fences.”
“I love that Duquesne is out front in helping to save this historic landmark,” Nixon said, referring to the August Wilson House. “August Wilson was one of America’s great writers, and his legacy is an important one.”
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region’s diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of “A Daughter’s Promise.” She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
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