Harvey Nybo will be inducted into the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame in the individual category as a player Aug. 16.
Nybo started playing baseball when he was eight years old, loving the game. He couldn't wait to get into the batter's box or run the bases. Then, he was drawn to the role of catcher because of the centrality of the position and the feeling that he was always in the game. He also loved being at the plate and hitting the ball hard.
Nybo's baseball career spanned 13 years with the Swift Current Indians of the Southern Baseball League. In 1961, when Swift Current Indians coach Jack McLeod needed a catcher for a game, he heard of a good young catcher from Outlook. He had 16 year-old Nybo flown to Swift Current for that game. The following year, Nybo joined the Indians full time, and continued with Swift Current until his retirement in 1974. In his final year, he finished in the top 10 of the league's hitting with a .296 average.
During his career with the Indians, he won the league championship in 1963 and 1965. Nybo won the Gus Riddler Trophy in 1965 as the league's top catcher. In that year, he was named to the All-star team while finishing fifth in the league with .325 batting average. Nybo was a member of the team that won the annual Swift Current Shrine Tournament in 1969.
Near the end of his career, Nybo co-coached the Indians with McLeod. In 1971 as head coach of the Indians, Nybo lost in game seven of the finals to the Moose Jaw Regals. He followed with a league championship as an assistant coach in 1972. The following year his team won the SBL pennant.
He was a take-charge catcher, with a better than average arm from behind the plate, and field general for the Indians. Nybo played left field when spelled off occasionally. He was a reliable hitter, being a threat to hit a long ball when teammates were in scoring position. An intense competitor, he played the game with rigour.
After retiring from active playing and coaching, Nybo was instrumental in reviving senior baseball in Swift Current in 1984 after the team had folded almost 10 years earlier. He then served on its board of directors for 23 years, serving as president for five years and vice-president for two years.
Nybo lives in Lake Pelletier.
