Hall of Fame
LARRY NICKELS - Football 1970-72
Larry Nickels is remembered in Dayton football history for two things-his left hand and his right hand. One of the greatest receivers to ever play Flyer football, Nickels put up some of UD's best pass-catching numbers when it wasn't common to put up those numbers.
Nickels was named team MVP as a senior in 1972, when he caught a then-school-record 44 passes for a then-school record 706 yards (now the fourth and fifth-best single-season marks respectively in UD history), He was the first wideout to be named UD's MVP. Career-wise, he is currently third in receptions (99) and seventh in yardage (1,376), after graduating with both records in his name.
He closed his career with a 10-catch, 186-yard effort against East Carolina that set UD's single-game records in those categories. The ten catches are still a Flyer record (it has been tied twice). Nickels began his varsity career by catching 15 passes for 164 yards as a sophomore, even though he missed half the season with a knee injury. Then in 1971, he set a UD record with 40 receptions (506 yards) in his junior year, before breaking the record again as a senior. After graduation, Nickels was drafted by the Detroit Lions.
After giving pro football a shot, he began a teaching career. He now lives in Springfield.
