Lance Lee Nichols (born July 25, 1939) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

former

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the ( home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the ca ...

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

, farm system official and scout in

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

. Nichols threw and batted

right-handed In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subjecti ...

. He stood tall and weighed as an active player. Nichols was born in Kansas City, Missouri. He attended

Lyndon, Kansas Lyndon is a city in, and the county seat of Osage County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 1,037. History Lyndon was founded in 1869 after the land in the area was taken from the Sac and Fox Natio ...

, High School and played baseball,

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

and football at

Emporia State University Emporia State University (Emporia State or ESU) is a public university in Emporia, Kansas, United States. Established in March 1863 as the Kansas State Normal School, Emporia State is the third-oldest public university in the state of Kansas. E ...

, before signing his first pro baseball contract with the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

in 1961. He progressed as far as the Triple-A

Spokane Indians The Spokane Indians are a Minor League Baseball team located in Spokane Valley, the city immediately east of Spokane, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest. The Indians are members of the High-A Northwest League (NWL) as an affiliate of the Color ...

of the Pacific Coast League for 77 games in 1966, but never appeared at the Major League level,

batting Batting may refer to: * Batting (baseball), the act of attempting to hit a ball thrown by the pitcher with a baseball bat, in order to score runs * Batting (cricket), the act of defending one's wicket with the cricket bat while attempting to score ...

.225 over six minor league seasons with 15 home runs. After five seasons as the baseball coach at Dodge City High School,Montague, John, ed. ''Baltimore Orioles 1985 Organization Book.'' St. Petersburg, Florida: The Baseball Library, 1985 Nichols returned to the professional ranks as a manager in the farm systems of the

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

and

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

, reaching the Triple-A level with the New Orleans Pelicans in 1977 and the Rochester Red Wings in 1982–1983. His record as a manager was 768–819 (.484) over 12 seasons (1972–1983). He then served the Orioles' farm system as director of field operations before spending the season as director of player development of the Philadelphia Phillies. He also was a scout for the Colorado Rockies during their early years in MLB and a Montreal Expos and

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

scout.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nichols, Lance 1939 births Living people Albuquerque Dodgers players Albuquerque Dukes players Colorado Rockies scouts Great Falls Electrics players Minor league baseball managers Montreal Expos scouts Panama City Fliers players People from Lyndon, Kansas Rochester Red Wings managers Salem Dodgers players Spokane Indians players Washington Nationals scouts Baseball players from Kansas City, Missouri