Former Pirates great Dick Groat, a 2-sport star, dies at 92 - ESPN

PITTSBURGH — Dick Groat, a two-sport star who went from All-American guard in basketball to a brief stint in the NBA to ultimately an All-Star shortstop and the 1960 National League MVP while playing baseball for his hometown Pittsburgh Pirates, has died. He was 92.

Groat's family said in a statement that he died Thursday at UMPC Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh due to complications from a stroke.

Groat, who was from the Swissvale neighborhood just east of Pittsburgh's downtown, starred at Duke in basketball and baseball in the early 1950s, earning All-American honors in both. His No. 10 jersey hangs inside Cameron Indoor Stadium after the program retired his number following the end of his senior season in 1952.

Groat attempted to play both baseball and basketball professionally, signing with the Pirates and being drafted by the Fort Wayne Pistons of the then-fledgling NBA within weeks of each other in 1952.

While Groat said basketball was his first love, a stint in the military during the mid-1950s redirected the arc of his athletic career.

After leaving the service, Pirates general manager Branch Rickey persuaded Groat to focus on baseball, a decision that turned into a lengthy 14-year career split between Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Philadelphia and San Francisco. Groat made the All-Star team in five seasons and led the majors in hitting in 1960 when he batted .325.

That season ended with Groat earning NL MVP honors for a Pirates team that upset the New York Yankees to win the World Series.

Groat finished with 2,138 career hits during a major league career that spanned from 1952-67. The Pirates announced last week that Groat would be inducted into the team's recently established Hall of Fame later this summer.

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