Ithaca College Athletics

John Nicolo was a four-year letter winner in both football and baseball at Ithaca, guiding both teams to NCAA Division III Championships as a senior.

In football, Nicolo ranked as one of Ithaca’s all-time greatest running backs, having amassed 1,817 yards and 20 touchdowns to rank fifth in both categories. A starter for his final three seasons, Nicolo was an All-American in 1979, leading Ithaca to a 14-10 victory over Wittenberg in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl. Nicolo was also an All-East and All-Conference selection in both 1978 and 1979, and served as a captain of the championship team.

As shortstop for the Ithaca baseball team, Nicolo was selected as the Most Valuable Player of the 1980 NCAA Division III World Series, guiding the Bombers out of the losers bracket to the title. Nicolo was named to the All-World Series teams in 1978 and 1980 and was All-East in 1979 and 1980. In addition, the Independent College Athletic Conference baseball coaches voted Nicolo as Player of the Year in his final two seasons.

In 1980, Nicolo was the recipient of the Ben Light Award, given to the College’s Male Athlete of the Year. Following graduation, Nicolo played minor league baseball in the Houston Astros organization for one year. Since that time, Nicolo has remained active in baseball as a Babe Ruth coach, guiding his teams to Northeast and Greater Boston League titles.