Louis Charles "Lou" Kolls (December 15, 1892 – February 23, 1941) was an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

umpire An umpire is an official in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The term derives from the Old French nonper, ''non'', "not" and ''per'', ...

who worked in the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

from 1933 to 1940. Kolls umpired in one All-Star Game and one World Series. Kolls was released by the American League a few months before his untimely death. He also played in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

Early life

Before entering umpiring, Kolls unsuccessfully ran for sheriff in Rock Island, Illinois. He also played semi-pro and minor league baseball. He attended college at St. Ambrose University

Football career

Kolls played seven seasons of professional football, 40 games total), for the 1920

Chicago Cardinals The professional American football team now known as the Arizona Cardinals previously played in Chicago, Illinois, as the Chicago Cardinals from 1898 to 1959 before relocating to St. Louis, Missouri, for the 1960 through 1987 seasons. Roots ...

, 1920

Hammond Pros The Hammond Pros from Hammond, Indiana played in the National Football League from 1920 to 1926 as a traveling team. History The Pros were established by local businessman Paul Parduhn and Dr. Alva Young. Young, a boxing promoter and owner o ...

, 1922-1926 Rock Island Independents and 1927

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

Umpiring career

Kolls umpired in the Mississippi Valley League, Western League and International League before making it to the American League in 1933. Kolls called 1195 games in his major league career. He was named to the staff of the 1936 All-Star Game. In 1938, Kolls suffered a broken nose in spring training, but he umpired a full slate of 161 games and officiated the 1938 World Series. After the 1940 season, American League president

Will Harridge William Harridge (October 16, 1883 – April 9, 1971) was an American executive in professional baseball whose most significant role was as president of the American League (AL) from 1931 to 1959. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by th ...

issued an outright release to Kolls.

Personal life

Kolls was married to the former Irene Tanghe, who worked as a secretary to U.S. Representative Chester C. Thompson.

Death

Kolls was killed in a two-car accident near Hooppole, Illinois in 1941. Four occupants of the other car were killed in the head-on collision. Two people were injured, including the sole passenger in the umpire's vehicle.

References

External links

Find a Grave
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kolls, Lou 1892 births 1941 deaths Major League Baseball umpires Road incident deaths in Illinois American football centers Chicago Cardinals players Hammond Pros players Rock Island Independents players New York Yankees (NFL) players Baseball players from Illinois Players of American football from Illinois Sportspeople from Rock Island, Illinois