[2] Nicholls played most of his football as a ruckman, and although at 189 centimetres he was not especially tall, he compensated his lack of height with his intelligence and imposing physical presence, which earned him the nickname 'Big Nick'.
[1] His rivalry with fellow Australian football legend Graham Farmer raised the standard of ruck play during the 1960s.
[4] Nicholls enjoyed an outstanding season in 1966, winning his second consecutive Robert Reynolds Trophy, and finishing second in the Brownlow Medal count, four votes behind St Kilda champion Ian Stewart.
1972 was the first season in which the McIntyre "Final Five" system was used, and so because Carlton finished on top of the ladder, this meant that they had a week's break before facing Richmond in the Second Semi-final.
Richmond won the replay by 41 points, but in the post-match interviews Nicholls refused to panic: Carlton has not hit a form slump.
[6]Robert Walls, who was serving as vice-captain, recalled that the day after the semi-final defeat, the players arrived at training feeling flat, but Nicholls revealed to them the outline of his plan to win the premiership with all-out attacking football.
The element of surprise in Nicholls' plan lay in his team selection; he handed the rucking responsibilities to "Percy" Jones, whilst stationing himself in the forward pocket with the intent of kicking goals.
[9] Finally, in the lead-up to the match, Nicholls had given his players three simple instructions: get to the ball first, kick long into attack and contest for 100 minutes.
In an enthralling spectacle of attacking football from both teams, Carlton piled on the goals to lead at half time with an incredible score of 18.6 (114) to 10.9 (69).
Stung by their defeat, Richmond didn't have to wait long to avenge their humiliation as the two rivals squared off again in the following season's Grand Final.
The sight of their fallen leader stunned the Carlton players; Robert Walls recalled that "[t]here was a bit of disbelief when Nicholls went down because we'd never seen the big bloke hurt like that before.
"[11] Nicholls was awarded a 15-metre penalty, and goaled from the free kick, but suffered double vision from the collision, and had little further impact on the game.
[12]While playing for Carlton, Nicholls served a three-month jail term at Pentridge Prison in 1960, having been found guilty of embezzling £5,558 (equivalent to A$184,976 in 2022) from the Collins Street Branch of the ES&A Bank and larceny as a servant.
Depending on the viewpoint taken: Following his retirement, he served as non-playing coach at Carlton in 1975, but then resigned three days before the start of the 1976 VFL season, citing mental and physical exhaustion.
[20] He is depicted contesting a boundary throw-in against Farmer in Jamie Cooper's painting the Game That Made Australia, commissioned by the AFL in 2008 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the sport.
[21] Teammate and fellow Hall of Fame Legend Alex Jesaulenko rated Nicholls the best he had seen or played with, "because he could have two marks and four kicks and still win a game.
[22] Carlton rover Rod Ashman recounted the impact Nicholls had during his early years at the club: Playing alongside "Big Nick" was an absolute godsend.
I got him at the end of his career, but I'll never forget one day at Carlton at a boundary throw-in, right in front of the social club in the forward pocket.