Dick Groat has had a wonderful sporting life. He came to Duke in 1949 when the Blue Devils were in the Southern Conference and did as much as anyone to establish Duke basketball. His jersey was the only jersey in the Cameron rafters until Mike Gminski’s went up in 1980. He was Player of the Year in 1952 and played briefly in the NBA.
Baseball was a much better professional option then so Groat, who was also a superb shortstop, was signed by Pittsburgh’s legendary Branch Rickey and won two World Series with the Pirates.
Who gets to win World Series with his hometown team?