Dick Groat, a former Pittsburgh Pirates star who also briefly played professional basketball after he was an All-American in college, has died, his family said Thursday. He was 92.
Groat’s family said he died at UMPC Presbyterian Hospital due to complications from a stroke.
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“We are deeply saddened by the loss of such a beloved member of the Pirates family and Pittsburgh community,” Pirates Chairman Bob Nutting said in a statement. “The National League MVP and World Series Champion in 1960, Dick remained a very active and cherished member of our Alumni Association. We were honored to have just recently informed Dick and his family that he had been selected to the Pirates Hall of Fame. He was a great player and an even better person. Our thoughts go out to his three daughters, eleven grandchildren and the entire Groat family. His was a life well lived. He will be missed.”
Groat was from the Pittsburgh area and starred at Duke as a basketball and baseball player in the 1950s. He was an All-American in both sports and had his jersey number retired at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Groat briefly played for the Fort Wayne Pistons in the early days of the NBA as he also signed with the Pirates in 1952. A brief military stint ended his basketball career, and he deiced to stick with the Pirates.
He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1953, and when he was discharged, then-Pirates general manager Bracn Rickey essentially threatened to take away his signing bonus if he did nt solely focus on baseball.
He played nine years for the Pirates and won the 1960 National League MVP award when he led the majors with a .325 batting average. He had two home runs and 50 RBIs that year. He would win a World Series with the team that season over the New York Yankees.
Groat also won a World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals and finished runner-up in MVP voting in 1963 when he led the majors with 43 doubles.
He ended his career with the San Francisco Giants after the 1967 season.
He is survived by his daughters Tracey, Carol Ann and Allison, along with 11 grandchildren.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
