Dick Groat, 1930-2023

Dick Groat played basketball at Duke University long before it was cool, and played baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates while it was very cool.

Richard Morrow Groat was born on November 4, 1930 in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, just to the east of Pittsburgh. Though only 5-foot-11, he was a basketball star at Swissvale High School, and Duke recruited him to come down to Durham, North Carolina.

In 1951, he became the 1st college basketball player ever to lead the country in both points per game and assists per game in the same season. He was named Southern Conference Athlete of the Year (the Atlantic Coast Conference was founded in 1953), and was selected by the Fort Wayne Pistons as the Number 3 pick of the 1952 NBA Draft. Duke went on to make his Number 10 the first they ever retired. He played 26 games for the Pistons in the 1952-53 season, averaging 11.9 points per game.

He was also a shortstop in baseball, and his hometown team, the Pittsburgh Pirates, signed him as a free agent. On June 18, 1952, with the Pirates on their way to a franchise-worst 112 losses, he made his major league debut. In the top of the 8th, wearing the Number 24 he would wear for most of his career, he pinch-hit for pitcher Joe Muir, and grounded back to pitcher Jim Hearn. The Pirates lost to the New York Giants, 5-2 at the Polo Grounds.

As 1 of 13 men to have played in both MLB and the NBA, Groat played in 95 games as a rookie, batting .284. With the Korean War ongoing, he enlisted in the U.S. Army, and missed the entire 1953 and 1954 seasons, even though the war ended on July 27, 1953. The Pirates told him that he had to give up basketball in order to keep his place on their team. Given that he was playing in his hometown, and for more money, he chose baseball.

He would be the Pirates' starting 2nd baseman for the next 8 seasons, and was named team Captain. In 1959, he made the 1st of 5 All-Star Games. In 1960, he led the National League with a .325 batting average, although the vast expanses of Forbes Field meant that he only hit 2 home runs with 50 RBIs. Nevertheless, he was named the National League's Most Valuable Player, despite playing on the same team as future Hall-of-Famers Roberto Clemente and Bill Mazeroski and Cy Young Award winner Vern Law. The Pirates upset the New York Yankees to gain the franchise's 1st World Series win in 35 years.

After the 1962 season, the Pirates traded Groat to the St. Louis Cardinals. Big mistake: In 1963, he batted .319, hit 6 home runs, had a career-high 73 RBIs, and led the NL with 43 doubles. In 1964, he batted .292, hit just 1 homer, but had 70 RBIs, and helped the Cardinals win the World Series, again beating the Yankees. He nearly won another MVP, finishing 2nd to his teammate Ken Boyer.

He went into decline after that, last playing in the majors with the San Francisco Giants in 1967. He finished with a lifetime batting average of .286, with 2,138 career hits. He has never gotten serious consideration for the Baseball Hall of Fame, but there are only 3 players not in the Hall who have won a batting title, won an MVP, played on a World Series winner, and appeared in at least 5 All-Star Games. Two of those are Pirates: Dick Groat and Dave Parker. The other is Pete Rose, who is ineligible for the Hall.

In 1955, Dick Groat married model Barbara Womble. They had 3 daughters: Tracey, Carol Ann and Allison. The marriage lasted until Barbara's death in 1990. Dick later operated a golf course, and became one of the country's best senior golfers. And he returned to basketball, broadcasting games for the University of Pittsburgh.

"I’ve been very fortunate," he said. "We beat the Yankees twice for the World Series ,for one thing. I was able to play professional basketball, which was my first love and my best sport at least for one year. Because of that and my Pirate background, I’ve broadcasted basketball for the University of Pittsburgh for the last 36 years with the best broadcaster anywhere, Bill Hillgrove."

He died today, April 27, 2023, at the age of 92.

With his death, there are now 7 surviving players from the 1960 World Champion Pittsburgh Pirates, and 13 surviving players from the 1964 World Champion St. Louis Cardinals. Bob Skinner is one of both. The other surviving '60 Pirates are Bill Mazeroski, Bob Skinner, Joe Christopher, Vernon Law, Elroy Face, Bob Oldis & Bennie Daniels.

The other surviving '64 Cardinals are Roger Craig, Mike Shannon, Julián Javier, Dal Maxvill, Bill White, Carl Warwick, Gordie Richardson, Ray Washburn, Ron Taylor, Charlie James, Bob Humphreys & Bob Uecker.