Local Champion to be Inducted in College Baseball Hall of Fame

World Series Champion Dick Groat is an 80-years-young gentleman who continues to marvel at his personal athletic accomplishments and luck, giving a word of wise advice to everyone: there are no shortcuts in life.

“There is no substitute for hard work,” Groat said. “That’s not just true in athletics, that’s true in life.”

A native of Swissvale who moved just a mile away from his childhood home to Edgewood, Groat is the quintessential East End loyalist.

“One thing that is unique about Pittsburgh is if you grow up in the East End, it would be the end of the world for me to live in the South Hills or the North Hills,” he said. “If you grow up here, you might leave Swissvale and move to Monroeville, but you’ll stay on the East End.”

Groat sits in a small corner at Foli’s, Edgewood’s neighborhood watering hole, a wall of commemorations, old photographs and posters bearing his name in the background. A lifetime of championships and entrances into halls of fame are obvious with one look at the shrine to the hometown hero. The World Series Champion played for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1952 to 1962.

This summer, he will be inducted to the College Baseball Hall of Fame.

Groat, who is on his way to Ligonier to manager his golf course, Champion Lakes, for the next six months, looks back at his athletic career in nothing short of awe.

“I always said the only difference between all of you people and myself was that I was fortunate enough to live the dream every one of us had while growing up,” he said. “Every youngster wants to be a professional athlete and back in the 50s, baseball was the sport everyone went to.”

Groat is humbled by his experiences and continued to success. To this day, he continues to work as a color commentator for University of Pittsburgh basketball—the sport that he calls his first love.

“I was fortunate enough to play one year in the NBA in the winter of 1952 and 1953,” Groat said. “Then I went into the service for two years.”

Groat attended college at the prestigious Duke University where he played basketball and baseball. His number—10—has been retired there.

While playing summer baseball between his junior and senior year at Duke, the Pirates started to show their interest.

“I have always been the luckiest guy in the world,” Groat said. “Everything always fell into place.”

After being asked to workout with the Pirates, the manager asked Groat if his parents liked baseball. At 20, he would have had to have his parents’ signatures to allow him to play. The manager turned to him and said, “Young man, if you sign a contract tonight I will start you in the game tomorrow against the Cincinatti Reds.”

But Groat had some unfinished business. He was determined to finish college.

“I owed my senior year to Duke playing basketball and baseball,” Groat said. “ I told him, ‘But I promise you if you make the same offer next year when I finish, I promise I will sign with the Pirates.’”

Groat went back to Duke, never heard a word from him, returned to Pittsburgh after the college world series, and the manager contacted him that day.

“My father and I went in and signed the contract,” Groat said. “He lived by his words. I joined the Pirates the next day, watched the game, pinch hit, then played in every game the rest of the season.”

Groat began a storied career as he became a member of the team that won the famed World Series at Forbes Field in 1960. Among his best friends on the tight-knit team was Bill Mazeroski.

“Obviously winning a world championship in your own hometown is really special,” Groat said. “And it was special for the city because we hadn’t had a winner in 33 years. And to beat the Yankees made it even more special.”

Groat recalled waking up for the big seventh day as the Pirates prepared to make history.

“It was just like a dream come true,” he said. “In those days, every kid dreamed of playing major league baseball. I was fortunate enough to do that and play in a world championship and that is really special.”

He also said he likes the look of the team Manager Clint Hurdle has compiled for this season.

"I like a lot of the young kids they have right now,” he said. “McCutchen, and I really like Walker on second base. But if the Pirates are going to make any kind of a move, they have to have good pitchers. That’s what they haven’t had but it looks like they could be a very interesting team this year.”

Close friend and Edgewood resident Ruth McGregor said she sat near his daughters as he was inducted to the College Basketball Hall of Fame.

“He has friends of all ages,” McGregor said. “When he talks to people, he talks to them as individuals, not like he is a big celebrity. He is a very humble man.”

Groat continues to receive fan mail and requests for autographs and is honored that anyone would be interested. He takes his fans seriously and treats them with the utmost respect.

“I am proud somebody even wants my autograph,” Groat said. “Arnold Palmer was 100 percent correct—if someone wants your autograph, sign it the way they can read it.”