University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Pitt Mourns the Loss of Dick Groat
4/27/2023 10:58:00 AM | Men's Basketball
PITTSBURGH – Legendary two-sport star athlete and longtime Pitt basketball radio analyst Dick Groat passed away early Thursday morning at the age of 92 at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital.
"Mr. Groat was an incredible athlete and an even better person," said head coach Jeff Capel. "He lived a storybook life as a two-sport professional athlete, and I always enjoy hearing the terrific stories of his career. He was a great representative of both the University of Pittsburgh and Duke University. I feel honored to have had the opportunity to get to know him. He will be missed, but the legacy he created will surely live on."
Groat, a Wilkinsburg, Pa., native, spent 40 years as radio analyst on Pitt Basketball broadcasts following a 14-year career in the major leagues with the Pittsburgh Pirates (1952-62), St. Louis Cardinals (1963-65), Philadelphia Phillies (1966-67), and San Francisco Giants (1967).
At Swissvale High School, Groat starred in basketball, baseball, and volleyball before attending Duke University on a basketball scholarship. He became a two-time All-American in both basketball and baseball for the Blue Devils. On the hardwood, Groat was named the National Player of the Year after his senior season (1951-1952), when he averaged 26 points and 7.6 assists per game. On May 1, 1952, he was the first player at Duke to have his uniform number (10) retired.
On the diamond, Groat played shortstop and helped to lead the Blue Devils to a 31-7 record and their first College World Series appearance as a senior in 1952. He hit .370 and led the team in doubles, hits, runs batted in, and stolen bases. He was a two-time winner of the McKelvin Award, given to the Athlete of the Year in the Southern Conference.
Groat agreed to sign with his hometown Pirates prior to his senior season at Duke and balanced playing both baseball and basketball for one season after being selected by the NBA's Fort Wayne Pistons with the third overall pick in the 1952 draft.
In 14 seasons of Major League Baseball (spread across 16 years due to two years of military service), Groat hit .286 and made the All-Star team five times. He finished third in the Rookie of the Year voting in 1952, when at age 21 he hit .284, and received Most Valuable Player votes in four different seasons. Groat won the MVP award in 1960 after winning the batting title (.325 average) and helping the Pirates to the World Series Championship.
Groat in partnership with Pirates teammate Jerry Lynch, converted an apple orchard into Champion Lakes Golf Resort in Bolivar, Pa. in 1966 and remained a fixture there until his passing Thursday.
Starting in 1979, Groat began calling Pitt basketball games alongside Voice of the Panthers Bill Hillgrove.
"I've been a Pitt man my whole life," Groat said of his relationship with Pitt Basketball. "This goes all the way back to when I was 5 years old. I'll always be indebted to Bill [Hillgrove] for getting me back involved in college basketball. It's been a godsend for me."
Groat went on to earn induction in the Duke Hall of Fame (1975), College Basketball Hall of Fame (2007), and National College Baseball Hall of Fame (2011). He was also recently informed that he would be inducted in the Pirates Hall of Fame Class of 2023.
Dick Groat Returns to Duke (Jan. 20, 2018)
Dick Groat – A Staple of Pittsburgh Sports Culture (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Pirates Great Dick Groat Passes Away at 92 (Pittsburgh Tribune Review)
Full Bio (courtesy of Society For American Baseball Research)
"Mr. Groat was an incredible athlete and an even better person," said head coach Jeff Capel. "He lived a storybook life as a two-sport professional athlete, and I always enjoy hearing the terrific stories of his career. He was a great representative of both the University of Pittsburgh and Duke University. I feel honored to have had the opportunity to get to know him. He will be missed, but the legacy he created will surely live on."
Groat, a Wilkinsburg, Pa., native, spent 40 years as radio analyst on Pitt Basketball broadcasts following a 14-year career in the major leagues with the Pittsburgh Pirates (1952-62), St. Louis Cardinals (1963-65), Philadelphia Phillies (1966-67), and San Francisco Giants (1967).
At Swissvale High School, Groat starred in basketball, baseball, and volleyball before attending Duke University on a basketball scholarship. He became a two-time All-American in both basketball and baseball for the Blue Devils. On the hardwood, Groat was named the National Player of the Year after his senior season (1951-1952), when he averaged 26 points and 7.6 assists per game. On May 1, 1952, he was the first player at Duke to have his uniform number (10) retired.
On the diamond, Groat played shortstop and helped to lead the Blue Devils to a 31-7 record and their first College World Series appearance as a senior in 1952. He hit .370 and led the team in doubles, hits, runs batted in, and stolen bases. He was a two-time winner of the McKelvin Award, given to the Athlete of the Year in the Southern Conference.
Groat agreed to sign with his hometown Pirates prior to his senior season at Duke and balanced playing both baseball and basketball for one season after being selected by the NBA's Fort Wayne Pistons with the third overall pick in the 1952 draft.
In 14 seasons of Major League Baseball (spread across 16 years due to two years of military service), Groat hit .286 and made the All-Star team five times. He finished third in the Rookie of the Year voting in 1952, when at age 21 he hit .284, and received Most Valuable Player votes in four different seasons. Groat won the MVP award in 1960 after winning the batting title (.325 average) and helping the Pirates to the World Series Championship.
Groat in partnership with Pirates teammate Jerry Lynch, converted an apple orchard into Champion Lakes Golf Resort in Bolivar, Pa. in 1966 and remained a fixture there until his passing Thursday.
Starting in 1979, Groat began calling Pitt basketball games alongside Voice of the Panthers Bill Hillgrove.
"I've been a Pitt man my whole life," Groat said of his relationship with Pitt Basketball. "This goes all the way back to when I was 5 years old. I'll always be indebted to Bill [Hillgrove] for getting me back involved in college basketball. It's been a godsend for me."
Groat went on to earn induction in the Duke Hall of Fame (1975), College Basketball Hall of Fame (2007), and National College Baseball Hall of Fame (2011). He was also recently informed that he would be inducted in the Pirates Hall of Fame Class of 2023.
Dick Groat Returns to Duke (Jan. 20, 2018)
Dick Groat – A Staple of Pittsburgh Sports Culture (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Pirates Great Dick Groat Passes Away at 92 (Pittsburgh Tribune Review)
Full Bio (courtesy of Society For American Baseball Research)
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