'Bull Durham' Inspiration Steve Dalkowski, Ex-Orioles Minor Leaguer, Dies at 80

Former Baltimore Orioles minor league pitcher Steve Dalkowski, who served as the inspiration for the Nuke LaLoosh character in the 1988 film Bull Durham, died Saturday at the age of 80 because of pre-existing health conditions complicated by COVID-19, per Steve Gardner of USA Today.

Family members said that he died in his hometown of New Britain, Connecticut, on Sunday.

Gardner provided the following scouting report on Dalkowski:

"Signed by the Orioles out of high school in 1957, the left-hander became legendary for how hard he could throw, with a fastball that was said to top 100 mph. Pitching with what has been described as a "buggy-whip" or "slingshot" motion, Dalkowski once struck out 24 batters -- and walked 18 -- in a single minor-league game.

"Former major-league manager Cal Ripken Sr., who was Dalkowski's catcher in the Orioles farm system, once estimated his fastball was between 110 and 115 mph. However, his inability to control where it was going kept him from ever reaching the major leagues."

In Bull Durham, actor Tim Robbins plays LaLoosh, a hard-throwing starting pitcher with great potential and a serious control problem.

As Gardner noted, Bull Durham director/writer Ron Shelton was an Orioles farmhand for five years. Through that experience, Shelton got the inspiration for the LaLoosh character.

Bull Durham is widely considered one of the best sports movies ever made. Starring Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon and Robbins, the 1988 film received three-and-a-half out of a possible four stars from legendary movie critic Roger Ebert.