Saul I. Nechtem
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Sport:
Multiple |
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Year
Graduated: 1939 |
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Year
Inducted: 1959 |
Saul came out of Chelsea High School, where he was a four
sports star competing in football, baseball, basketball and
track. Saul and Mickey Cochrane are the only athletes in B.U.
history to win 12 Varsity letters. When Mickey was playing
for B.U., freshmen could compete on the Varsity level. When
Saul entered B.U. he had to play freshman and earned four
freshman numerals. He had to wait until his sophomore year
to win a Varsity berth and Varsity letter.
He was quarterback on the football team, made all New England
three years in a row, All-Eastern once, was given honorable
mention for All-America, and was selected as the quarterback
of the Jewish All-American Football team in 1938.
He made second team All-America in basketball as a forward
and was considering a career as a professional, but World
War II intervened and Saul became a Lieutenant (Sr. grade)
in the Navy, seeing plenty of action as an air combat intelligence
officer. His Chelsea High team won 24 out of 25 games. The
team won the Massachusetts title, but lost its 25th game in
the finals of the New England tournament.
He played shortstop and was one of the pitchers on the baseball
team. Last but not least he competed in four events on the
track team, winning the 100 and the 220 plus the high jump
and broad jump. He held the B.U. high jump mark until John
Thomas shattered it by going over the bar almost a foot higher
than Saul's record.
