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Ex-NL Umpire and Supervisor, Dies

Former National League umpire and supervisor Nick Colosi died Friday, February 25.

Colosi was a maitre d’ at the famous Copacabana night club in New York before turning to professional umpiring. He became a full time National League umpire in 1968.

Colosi worked the All-Star Game in 1971 and the NLCS in 1974. In 1975 he worked the classic World Series between the Reds and Red Sox. The most famous call of his career came in Game One. After much media hype regarding the legality of Luis Tiant’s jittery hand motions as he came to a set position, Colosi called a balk on Tiant—for an illegal motion using his leg. Colosi worked the plate for John Candelaria’s no-hitter on August 9, 1976.

Colosi worked a second NLCS in 1978. He suffered a heart attack in 1979 but recovered sufficiently to carry on in his career. He subsequently worked the 1980 All-Star Game and the 1981 World Series (Dodgers over Yankees) before retiring after the 1982 season.

Colosi was hired by the National League as an umpire supervisor in 1990 and served in that capacity until the 1995 strike. He was then rehired from 1996 to 1998.

Colosi is survived by his wife, Frances, and had three sons, Frank, Stephen, and Nicholas Jr., and seven grandchildren. His funeral was held March 1 at St. Stanislaus Church in his home of Maspeth, New York, with interment at St. Mary’s Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family suggested donations to the American Heart Association.

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