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Helen Nicol

Multisport Athlete — Inducted 1996

Helen Nicol (May 9, 1920 – July 25, 2021) was one of Alberta’s most versatile and accomplished multisport athletes, excelling in softball, baseball, hockey, speed skating, and golf over a remarkable athletic career that spanned more than four decades.

Born in Ardley, Alberta, Nicol began competing in the Calgary area during the 1930s. As a softball pitcher, she played for numerous teams including the Calgary Chinooks, Avenue Grill Cooks, Parkhill Vic’s, Wittichens, Edmonton Army & Navy Pats, Walkrites, and the William Wrigley’s All-American Glamour Girls in Chicago.

In 1943, Nicol became an original member of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). Over a ten-year professional career (1943–1952), she pitched in 313 games and won 163 of them, becoming one of the most dominant pitchers in league history. She remains among the all-time leaders in wins, strikeouts (1,076), innings pitched (2,382), and consecutive victories (13).

In her rookie 1943 season with the Kenosha Comets, Nicol led the league with 31 wins and was named Pitcher of the Year. She earned the same honour again in 1944 after posting a remarkable 0.93 earned run average. After transferring to the Rockford Peaches, she helped lead the team to multiple championship titles, including three consecutive championships from 1948 to 1950.

Nicol was the only pitcher to begin her career in 1943 and remain active throughout the league’s full ten-year existence. The AAGPBL was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, in 1988, and her era was later popularized by the film A League of Their Own.

Beyond baseball and softball, Nicol also excelled in hockey, playing centre for the Calgary Avenue Grill Chinooks, who won both the Southern Alberta Ladies’ and Banff Winter Carnival Championships. As a speed skater, she won the Senior Ladies’ 880-yard race at the 1940 Banff Winter Carnival in record time and placed runner-up in provincial competition that same year.

After moving to Arizona in 1972, Nicol continued competing in golf and won the Phoenix-Motorola Open five times.

After Induction

Helen Nicol received numerous honours recognizing her outstanding contributions to sport:

  • Alberta Sports Hall of Fame (1996)
  • Inducted with fellow Canadian AAGPBL players into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame (1998)
  • The AAGPBL recognized in the National Baseball Hall of Fame (1988)

Nicol celebrated her 100th birthday in May 2020 and passed away on July 25, 2021, at the age of 101.

Legacy

Helen Nicol stands as one of Alberta’s greatest multisport athletes and one of the most accomplished pitchers in women’s professional baseball history. Her excellence across five sports and her record-setting professional career secured her place among Canada’s sporting pioneers.