Mike Hansen ’20 begins his second season as the head coach of the Esports program at Nichols College in 2021-22.
Hansen – who received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in economics from Nichols – was a member of the inaugural Esports team during the 2019-20 season, specializing in Rocket League and NBA2K.
Hansen's love of video games dates back his childhood days, when he was introduced to 'Pajama Sam,' a vintage PC game which he played with his father. His passion for gaming grew with the advent of Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii, where Hansen began playing Mario Kart, Halo, and Call of Duty. "My family is very competitive and we love games that allowed us to compete," explained Hansen.
While in high school, Hansen suffered numerous concussions which rendered him unable to physically compete in competitive contact sports. It was then that his love for gaming reached new levels as he began entering NHL 14 and NHL 15 Tournaments on Xbox 360 as a singles competitor around the Natick, Massachusetts area and as a member of a team in online tournaments. Hansen's experienced most of his success in online tournaments but has also won prize money as an individual competitor.
Hansen – who worked as a library circulation team leader at Conant Library as an undergrad – says he is looking forward to taking over the coaching reins of the Esports program. Said Hansen, "It was a lot of fun and I loved seeing the growth of the program during our first year. I really want to help continue to grow the program and expand it to reach the levels of our competition."
