Dick Groat
A fierce competitor who excelled at the highest level in two major sports, winning a World Series MVP as a shortstop after first playing professional basketball.
1930–2023 (age 93)·American baseball player·Birthday: November 4·The Silent Generation
Biography
Dick Groat was the definition of a natural athlete. At Duke University, he was an All-American in both baseball and basketball, a feat that announced his rare dual-sport potential. He chose professional baseball first, signing with the Pittsburgh Pirates, but his career was interrupted by a two-year stint in the U.S. Army. Upon returning, he also played a season of NBA basketball for the Fort Wayne Pistons, averaging over ten points per game. But baseball was where he truly starred. A masterful contact hitter and slick-fielding shortstop, Groat's leadership anchored the Pittsburgh infield. His finest season came in 1960 when he won the National League batting title and was named the league's MVP, then led the Pirates to a dramatic World Series victory over the Yankees. Traded to the Cardinals later in his career, he won a second championship in 1964. Groat's intelligence and fundamentally sound play made him one of the most respected players of his era, a bridge between the game's gritty past and its modern era.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Dick was born in 1930, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Dick Was Born
The biggest hits of 1930
#1 Movie
All Quiet on the Western Front
Best Picture
All Quiet on the Western Front
Dick's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1930Born
Pluto discovered
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,510President: Herbert Hoover"Body and Soul" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: All Quiet on the Western Front
1935Started school
Social Security Act signed into law
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,450President: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Cheek to Cheek" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Mutiny on the Bounty
1943Became a teenager
Allies invade Sicily; Battle of Stalingrad ends
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,290Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I've Heard That Song Before" — Harry JamesBest Picture: Casablanca
1946Could drive
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1948Could vote
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1951Turned 21
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1960Turned 30
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1970Turned 40
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1980Turned 50
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1990Turned 60
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
2000Turned 70
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 80
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2023Died at 93
ChatGPT goes mainstream; Israel-Hamas war begins
Gas: $3.52/galHome: $361,600Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Flowers" — Miley CyrusBest Picture: Oppenheimer
Key Achievements
- Won the 1960 National League Most Valuable Player award while batting .325 for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
- Earned two World Series rings, with the 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates and the 1964 St. Louis Cardinals.
- Was an eight-time National League All-Star selection as a shortstop.
- Played in the NBA for the Fort Wayne Pistons during the 1952-53 season, averaging 11.9 points per game.
Did You Know?
He is one of only 13 athletes to have played both Major League Baseball and in the NBA.
After his playing career, he worked as a color commentator for University of Pittsburgh basketball radio broadcasts for over 40 years.
His number 27 was retired by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2023, following his death.
He was drafted by the U.S. Army and served from 1953 to 1955, missing two baseball seasons.
“I hit .300 by going to right field; trying to pull everything is a young man's mistake.”
