Frank White (baseball)
The homegrown Royals legend whose golden glove at second base anchored the franchise's first and only World Series championship.
Born 1950 (age 76)·American politician and former baseball player·Birthday: September 4·Baby Boomers
Biography
Frank White is Kansas City baseball. Born and raised there, he was a product of the Royals' innovative 'Baseball Academy,' a proof-of-concept that raw local talent could be molded into a star. He wasn't just a hometown story; he was a defensive revolution at second base. With a quick first step and a cannon for an arm, he turned the double play into an art form, winning eight Gold Gloves. While his bat was steady, his true value was in erasing hits and stabilizing the infield for a pitching-rich team. In 1985, his career reached its peak as he delivered key hits and his usual stellar defense to help the Royals win their first World Series, being named the ALCS MVP along the way. After his playing days, he remained a fixture in the community as a broadcaster, coach, and even a county politician, his identity forever intertwined with the team he helped define.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Frank was born in 1950, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Frank Was Born
The biggest hits of 1950
#1 Movie
Cinderella
Best Picture
All About Eve
#1 TV Show
Texaco Star Theatre
Frank's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1950Born
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1955Started school
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1963Became a teenager
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1966Could drive
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1968Could vote
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1971Turned 21
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1980Turned 30
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 40
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 50
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 60
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
2020Turned 70
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 76 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won eight Rawlings Gold Glove Awards for his defensive excellence at second base.
- Was named the Most Valuable Player of the 1985 American League Championship Series.
- Played his entire 18-year Major League career for the Kansas City Royals, a franchise record for longevity.
- Was a five-time American League All-Star selection.
- His number 20 was retired by the Kansas City Royals in 1995.
Did You Know?
He was discovered at the Royals' pioneering Baseball Academy, having never played college baseball.
He served as the elected County Executive of Jackson County, Missouri, from 2011 to 2015.
He is the cousin of former major league pitcher Jerry White.
He hit the first home run in the history of the Royals' Kauffman Stadium in 1973.
““I was a kid from Kansas City who got a chance to play for his hometown team. You can’t write a better script than that.””
