Dick Groat, eight-time MLB All-Star and two-sport hall of famer in college, dies at 92

Dick Groat, the smooth-fielding shortstop who won National League MVP honors and helped lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to the 1960 World Series title, has died at the age of 92.

The Pirates confirmed the eight-time All-Star died early Thursday morning at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh.

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of such a beloved member of the Pirates family and Pittsburgh community,” Pirates Chairman Bob Nutting said. "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."  

An All-American in two sports at Duke University in the early 1950s, Groat was the first man ever inducted into both the college basketball and college baseball halls of fame. 

After graduating, he signed with the Pirates and was drafted third overall by the NBA's Fort Wayne Pistons, with plans to play both sports professionally. 

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He appeared in 95 games with the Pirates in 1952 and finished third in the NL rookie of the year balloting. That fall, he joined the Pistons for the 1952-53 season and averaged 11.9 points and 2.7 assists in 26 games. 

However, a military stint altered his career plans. When he came back from his military service, Groat focused solely on baseball.

He played nine seasons with the Pirates, winning the NL batting title in 1960 with a .325 average and earning league MVP as Pittsburgh defeated the New York Yankees in the World Series.

The Pirates traded Groat to the St. Louis Cardinals prior to the 1963 season, and he nearly won a second MVP trophy, finishing as the runner-up to Dodgers pitcher Sandy Koufax.

Groat went on to play a total of 14 years in the majors, three seasons with the Cardinals, parts of two seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies and part of one season with the San Francisco Giants.

He remained active in the Pittsburgh area following his playing days, including spending four decades as a color commentator for the University of Pittsburgh basketball team.