Dick Groat, Pirates Legend, Dies at Age 92; Also Played 26 Games in NBA

Dick Groat, who won two World Series championships in Major League Baseball and also had a brief stint in the NBA, died Thursday morning due to complications from a stroke.

He was 92.

"We are deeply saddened by the loss of such a beloved member of the Pirates family and Pittsburgh community," Pirates Chairman Bob Nutting said in a statement released Thursday. "He was a great player and an even better person ... His was a life well lived. He will be missed."

Groat was a dual-sport athlete who was the No. 3 overall pick of the 1952 NBA draft by the then-Fort Wayne Pistons. He played only one season for the Pistons due to a combination of a hiatus to serve in the United States Army and then-Pirates general manager Branch Rickey's insistence Groat only play one sport professionally.

Groat would play with the Pirates for nine seasons from 1952-1962 before moving on to play for the St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies and San Francisco Giants. He finished his career with eight All-Star appearances and was the 1960 National League MVP.

Despite his strong playing career, Groat never sniffed the Hall of Fame during his time on the ballot. He nevertheless remained beloved by the Pirates organization and in the Pittsburgh area, where he stayed and lived after his playing career ended.