Paul Kengor: From GOAT to Groat

A strange confluence of my two recent Trib articles inspires a novel follow up. I first wrote on goats versus GOATs — i.e., athletes known for choking (i.e., goats) vs. athletes hailed by the weird acronym GOAT, meaning Greatest Of All Time. Next I wrote on Orrin Hatch, the longest serving Republican senator, who happened to be from Pittsburgh. Hatch prompted me to muse about other hometown Pittsburghers who somehow don’t get remembered as natives like they should.

That thought exercise prompted a faithful reader, Ray, to email with a concern of his, namely: the lack of recognition for Dick Groat. It’s a good point by Ray, one that I proved myself by not listing Groat among my unappreciated Pittsburgh natives.

“It still baffles me that after so many faithful years to the Pitt basketball program and the Pittsburgh Pirates he was retired from Pitt without any ceremony,” writes Ray. “I have asked several reporters and have never seen a reply.”

Yes, it makes no sense.

Groat was no goat. In fact, he might be the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) athlete from this area. And yet, if you sat around with friends rattling off the greatest local athletes, I bet Groat wouldn’t make many lists. The names would include Dan Marino, Joe Namath, Joe Montana, Tony Dorsett, Johnny Unitas, Stan Musial, Pete Maravich. But Dick Groat? He likely eludes most lists.

Dick Groat was born in Wilkinsburg in November 1930. He was a standout athlete at Swissvale High School. He went to Duke to play basketball, where he was an All-American and drafted in the first round of the 1952 NBA draft (third overall). He’s in the college basketball hall of fame. Baseball teams pursued him. He opted for his hometown team, the Pirates. He also would play for the St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies and San Francisco Giants. He was an eight-time All-Star.

Groat was the Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders of his era, though those two played pro football and baseball. Few have done pro basketball and baseball, particularly with Groat’s success. Michael Jordan tried, but the hoops legend couldn’t hit a minor league curveball. Not many can. Dick Groat certainly could.

Groat actually was baseball’s MVP in 1960, the year the Pirates beat the Yankees in that iconic World Series. Everyone remembers Bill Mazeroski, but Groat completed their superb double-play tandem at second base and shortstop. Groat was the best player on that team — better than even Roberto Clemente.

After his baseball career, he became a legendary broadcaster of Pitt basketball — for 40 years.

I wouldn’t say Groat has gone completely unrecognized. “Dick Groat is a legend and a Western Pennsylvania sports icon,” observes sportswriter Paul Zeise. “He may even be the greatest athlete Western Pennsylvania has ever produced.”

Kudos to Zeise. If pressed, few local sports analysts would disagree, but I bet most would forget to put Groat on their initial list.

At 91 years old, Groat lives in the Ligonier area. “I have no intentions of leaving Western Pennsylvania,” he told the Trib in 2019. His daughter Carol quips that he “winters” in Pittsburgh. He began wintering here in 1930.

Dick Groat was no goat. He was one of this area’s Greatest Of All Time.