Bill Nicholson   |   Major Leaguer   1936-1953

[1940] - NL MVP (Voting Rank: #20), Played in MLB All-Star Game  [1941] - NL MVP (Voting Rank: #16), Played in MLB All-Star Game  [1942] - NL MVP (Voting Rank: #19)  [1943] - NL MVP (Voting Rank: #3), Played in MLB All-Star Game  [1944] - NL MVP (Voting Rank: #2), Played in MLB All-Star Game  [1945] - Played in MLB All-Star Game  [1960] - Hall of Fame Ballot Voting (1 votes - 0.37%)

"Swish" Nicholson grew up on Maryland's Eastern Shore, in Chestertown, Maryland. He starred in football, basketball and baseball at Washington College, from which he graduated with a B.S. degree in 1936. Within days of graduation, he played for Connie Mack's Philadelphia A's, going hitless in 12 at bats, with 5 strikeouts for the season. After 2 1/2 seasons in the minors with Oklahoma City (Texas League), Williamsport (Eastern/New York-Penn League), Portsmouth (Piedmont League) and Chattanooga (Southern Association), he was purchased by the Cubs. He made his National League debut against the Phillies on August 1, 1939, and hit a home run in a Cubs' victory. He was voted to the N.L. All Star team in 1940, 1941, 1943, and 1944. He was voted to the Sporting News All Star team in 1945, though no game was played that year because of the war. Nicholson led the N.L. in home runs and RBIs in 1943 and 1944, and was intentionally walked with the bases loaded by Mel Ott's Giants in 1944, after having slugged four home runs in four consecutive at-bats. He finished his career with the Phillies, and was a key bench player on the 1950 Whiz Kids, beating the Dodgers twice with pinch hit home runs, before being felled by the diabetes that eventually ended his career in 1953. Nicholson was inducted into the Maryland Shrine of Immortals in 1966, and the Washington College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1981. He died of a heart attack in Chestertown on March 8, 1996.

Notes: Played in 5 All-Star games during his career (1940-1941, 1943-1945)

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