1952 Topps #369, Dick Groat RC.
1953 Topps #154. Dick Groat.
Dick Groat's flagship cards for his first 2 years were outstanding. I'm thinking I should finish his career run.
Dick Groat was a remarkable all-around athlete, excelling at the highest levels in both baseball and basketball. At Duke University in the early 1950s, he was a two-sport superstar—an All-American shortstop and one of the nation’s top guards in basketball. In basketball, Groat was a two-time All-American, the 1952 National Player of the Year, and left Duke as the school’s all-time leading scorer. He was drafted third overall by the NBA’s Fort Wayne Pistons and played professionally in the league before focusing on baseball.
In MLB, Groat became an eight-time All-Star shortstop, a batting champion (.325 in 1960), and a key leader of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 1960 World Series championship team. That year he was named National League MVP. He later helped the St. Louis Cardinals win the 1964 World Series.
