Nikki Mccray’s husband, Thomas Penson, was married to the basketball coach for 21 years. Thomas and Nikki shared a son, Thomas Nikson Penson.
A couple coming from different professional fields, Nikki and Thomas might have first crossed paths at the University of Tennessee. They went through many ups and downs but always stuck by each other.
In 2013, a year after celebrating their 10th anniversary, the couple was struck by the devastating news of Nikki’s cancer diagnosis. But the two-time Olympic gold medalist won her first battle with the disease.
In 2021, Nikki stepped down as the head coach of Mississippi State due to health reasons and had been working with Scarlet Knights as an assistant coach.
On July 7, a Rutgers spokesperson confirmed the news of her demise at age 51. Our thoughts and prayers are with Nikki’s family, including her husband, Thomas Penson, and son Thomas Nikson Penson.
Nikki Mccray Husband, Thomas Penson
Nikki Mccray’s husband, Thomas Penson, is an account manager at Irby Co.
Thomas Penson graduated from the Univeristy of Tennessee, Knoxville, in 1995 with an electrical and electronics engineering degree. While in Tennessee, Thomas was also part of the National Society of Black Engineers.
After graduation, Thomas joined Kendall Electric, the electrical wholesale distributor, and started as an industrial electrical inside sales engineer.
He worked in that position for 11 years before being promoted to outside industrial sales account manager. In 2014, Thomas left Kendall Electric to join Englewood Electrical Supply.
He worked there for three years as an inside sales engineer and later as an account manager. In 2017, Thomas became part of the WESCO Distribution before joining his current workplace at Irby Co.
At Irby, Thomas started as a services specialist in 2020 and was promoted to industrial account manager in 2021.
Thomas is available on Facebook but has remained inactive since 2019. He has shared a family photo of him and Nikki with their son Thomas Jr. and an individual picture of Jr.
Nikki Mccray And Husband Thomas Penson Were Married For 21 Years
Nikki Mccray and her husband, Thomas Penson, shared a beautiful marriage of 21 years filled with hardships but much more love.
The account manager, Thomas Penson, had always been a romantic man, so when the time came to take their relationship to the next level, he did it in style.
Thomas went down on one knee in 1998 right after Niki’s basketball match in front of 6500 fans.
There is a picture of Nikki going down on both her knees with roses in her hands as Thomas held a mike in one hand and the engagement ring in the other.
And in the background are the roaring fans, and Nikki’s gleeful teammates, who couldn’t be more happy for her.
A few months after their engagement, Nikki and Thomas, with other athlete couples, were flown to Necker Island for a cover shoot for the 1999 SI swimsuit issue.
Nikki Mccray And Thomas Penson Share A Son
Nikki and Thomas tied the knot on March 30, 2002, and share a son named Thomas Nikson Penson.
Their son, Thomas Jr. was born on February 2, 2013, and Nikki previously shared a few photos of her son on her Twitter handle.
In an interview with The State in 2017, Nikki talked about her son Thomas. At the time, Thomas who was only four, was already making 200 shots a night on the hoop stapled on their door.
In 2017, when she won her first bout with cancer, Nikki said it was her son inspiring her to fight the disease. During the interview, Nikki said she was already teaching her son to pump fake.
It was one of her dreams to watch her son become a basketball player. Hopefully, one day, Thomas can fulfill his mom’s wishes and continue the basketball legacy.
