Dick Groat, one of the greatest two-sport athletes in Pittsburgh's history -- which included winning a Most Valuable Player award for the 1960 Pirates, having his number retired by Duke basketball and spending 40 years as a color analyst calling Pitt basketball games -- has died. He was 92 years old.
Among the Wilkinsburg native and Swissvale product Groat's many accolades in the baseball world, which included an MVP, eight All-Star nods, and two World Series rings, included being named a future inductee to the Pirates' Hall of Fame just last week.
We are saddened to confirm the passing of former Pirates great Dick Groat.
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) April 27, 2023
Dick was a member of our World Series Championship team in 1960 and our Hall of Fame.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the entire Groat family. pic.twitter.com/fuzosEGJBG
Groat was drafted by the NBA's Fort Wayne Pistons with the third overall pick in 1952 but played just one season for them. After returning from two years of military service in 1954, he was told by Branch Rickey that he could only play baseball. While heartbreaking, it was a catalyst for one of the greatest careers for a Pirates infielder in team history.
He finished third in the Rookie of the Year voting in 1952 -- bypassing the minor leagues in totality -- and after his military service concluded, Groat played 13 additional Major League seasons for the Pirates, Cardinals, Phillies, and Giants.
But, he will always be remembered as a Pirate.
He won the batting title and MVP as he helped the Pirates to the 1960 World Series title over the Yankees. In that series, he hit .214 with a pair of doubles and a pair of RBIs while striking out just once. In that 1960 MVP season, Groat posted a .325 average to lead the majors, walked more than he struck out, and posted a career-best .371 on-base percentage.
Over his nine-year career as a Pirate, Groat earned three All-Star nods and hit .290 with 226 doubles, 30 home runs, and 454 RBIs. He went on to earn two more nods as an All-Star as a Cardinal, and he helped them to the 1964 World Series championship. He finished second in MVP voting in 1963 as a member of the Cardinals.
“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 team 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 daughers, eleven grandchildren and the entire Groat family. His was a life well lived. He will be missed.”
Groat was a two-sport star -- in every sense of the phrase -- at Duke, where he became the first Duke basketball player to have his basketball jersey number retired. He was an All-American in 1951 and 1952 in each of basketball and baseball.
Groat is 19th in Duke basketball history in scoring with 1,886 points per game, and his scoring average of 23.0 points per game stands second in program history. He was named the National Player of the Year in 1952 after posting 26.0 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 7.6 assists per game.
In his college baseball career, Groat posted a .375 career batting average and led Duke to its first appearance in the College World Series in 1952. During that season, he hit .370 and led the team in doubles, hits, RBIs, and steals.
As a result of his prolific college career, Groat is a member of the Duke Hall of Fame (1975), College Basketball Hall of Fame (2007), Southern Conference Hall of Fame (2009), and the National College Baseball Hall of Fame (2011).
A special tribute piece on Mr. Groat’s return to his college roots.#H2P https://t.co/OcdazitffA pic.twitter.com/MtiwLU3H6T
— Pitt Basketball (@Pitt_MBB) April 27, 2023
He retired from baseball after the 1967 season, and came back to basketball as the color analyst for Pitt basketball for 40 years alongside Bill Hillgrove, up until his retirement in 2019. He is also credited as the former owner and co-founder (alongside Pirates teammate Jerry Lynch) of Champion Lakes Golf Club in Bolivar.
"Mr. Groat was an incredible athlete and an even better person," Pitt basketball head coach and fellow Duke alumnus Jeff Capel said in a news release. "He lived a storybook life as a two-sport professional athlete, and I always enjoy hearing the terrific stories of his career. He was a great representative of both the University of Pittsburgh and Duke University. I feel honored to have had the opportunity to get to know him. He will be missed, but the legacy he created will surely live on."
Thank you, Dick Groat 💙💛
— Pitt Panthers (@Pitt_ATHLETICS) April 27, 2023
Listen as he signed off for the final time with @Pitt_MBB
A Pittsburgh legend that will ALWAYS be remembered. pic.twitter.com/gzVMv5yP3k
Groat is survived by his daughters Tracey, Carol Ann and Allison, along with 11 grandchildren.
Groat appeared on DK Pittsburgh Sports' Memory Lane podcast with Cory Giger last year to talk about his legendary career:
