Nickolette, Louis

Louis Nickolette – (1974)

 

Lou ranks first of the seven Nickolette brothers as an all-round athlete.

Lou’s first love was baseball and he played 19 years and once batted against Hall of Famer Cy Young. In 1929 he had a tryout with the Fayettesville, North Carolina professional team as a catcher.

Lou played two games as a member of the Cleveland Tellings, considered the best semipro team around in the early 30’s. Lou was selected as the all-star catcher in the Suburban League two years in a row, 1928 and 1929.

Lou batted .347 in 1928 and followed with a .322 average in 1929.

Lou also excelled in the boxing ring between the ages of 19 and 26. As a professional boxer he had 56 fights in the 147 pound weight class.

Lou won 44 of his fights, lost 10 and had two draws. He registered 17 knockouts and was knocked out only once. At one point in his ring career he had won 18 straight battles.

Lou also displayed his athletic versatility by becoming a crack shot on the Ohio Ice Basketball Team and helped lead them to the county title in 1928 and 1929. In 1922 he played football and guided his squad to the 135 pound title.