Koupal, Louis Laddie “Lou”

Born in Tabor where he graduated in 1915 from the South Dakota small farming town’s St. Wenceslaus Catholic Parochial High School. Attended Columbus College in Chamberlain from 1915-17 where he was a multi-sport standout. Played 19 seasons of professional baseball with stints in the Majors with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Brooklyn Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Browns. Had a wicked curveball but lacked control at times. Appeared in 101 MLB games over seven seasons, pitching 335 innings with 87 strikeouts. Best seasons were 1928 with Brooklyn with a 2.41 earned run average and 1929 (Brooklyn, then traded to Philadelphia) when he finished third in MLB with six saves. The 1929 Brooklyn team that Koupal played on had five future MLB hall of famers. During and after high school, Koupal pitched for the Tabor Bluebirds and was said to have rarely lost a game. Got his pro baseball break when he was asked to pitch in an exhibition game on Oct. 18, 1922, vs. Hall of Famer Babe Ruth of the NY Yankees. Koupal homered off Ruth, but did not allow Ruth to homer. Koupal also struck out Hall of Famer “Joltin’ Joe” DiMaggio three times in a game. Soon after, scouts signed Koupal to the Hastings Cubs of the Nebraska State League. Had two seasons of 20 wins or more in the minor leagues. Koupal appeared in the 1935 Warner Brothers movie “Alibi Ike” as a professional baseball player.