 Cihocki was born in Nanticoke, Pennsylvania, where he played sandlot ball with Steve Bilko, his cousin who also went on to play in the major leagues, as well as Pete Gray.He originally tried out for the Philadelphia Phillies organization in 1941 and Wilkes-Barre Barons in 1942 but failed to make the cut for either team.Cihocki then joined the Batavia Clippers as a third baseman, where he had a batting average of .342 and was named to the New York–Penn League's All-Star team.