Locklin was an all-state performer in three sports, football, basketball, and track, at Appleton High in Appleton, Wisconsin (now Appleton West High School). Locklin was a member of the National Honor Society in high school. Stu was the oldest brother, and his other two siblings Mory and Ron Locklin were also exceptional amateur athletes at Appleton High. Appleton West honored Locklin in a ceremony in 2011.\n', '

He enrolled in the University of Wisconsin on an athletic scholarship in the 1946–1947 academic year. As a freshman, he started at right end on the football team and as the center fielder on the baseball team. He led the baseball team in average (.352), hits, and runs as a freshman. Because of his potential as a baseball player, he gave up football and its high risk of injury after his freshman year.[citation needed] As a sophomore, he played on the varsity basketball team. He earned three letters competing as a Badger in his first two years of college, before signing a professional baseball contract with the Cleveland Indians organization in 1949. Although his amateur athletic career was over upon signing the contract, he continued to attend the University of Wisconsin and earned a bachelor\'s degree in business and a master\'s degree in education.\n', '

Stu began his professional career in 1949 and successfully began moving through the Indians\' minor league affiliates at Dayton, Oklahoma City, and San Diego. In 1951, Locklin appeared to be about to enter his prime as a ballplayer and the Indians\' purchased his contract from their triple AAA affiliate in San Diego, priming him for a big league debut in 1952. However, against the backdrop of the Korean War, he enlisted in the Air Force in 1952. He was stationed at Lockborne Air Force Base in Columbus, Ohio. Although his professional baseball career was on hold while he served in the Air Force from 1952 through 1954, Locklin was a member of the Lockborne AFB baseball team, coached by future New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner.\n', '

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