Longtime Pirates shortstop and...

Dick Groat, a former shortstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates who also briefly played in the NBA and set a single-season NCAA scoring record at Duke, passed away on Thursday. He was 92. Groat's family announced that he passed away early on Thursday at a hospital in Pittsburgh as a result of complications from the stroke he had last week.After joining the Pirates for the following eight seasons, Groat earned two All-Star berths before helping Pittsburgh win the World Series in 1960, the same year he won the NL batting title and MVP award. After being transferred to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1963, Groat defeated the New York Yankees to win a second World Series. Before quitting baseball in 1967, he had a brief time with the San Francisco Giants and Philadelphia Phillies to round out his career. The five-time All-Star finished his 14-season career with a batting average of.286 overall, 39 home runs, and more than 2,100 hits. Pirates owner Bob Nutting issued a statement saying, "We are terribly saddened by the passing of such a cherished member of the Pirates family and Pittsburgh community. He was a superb athlete and an even greater human being. He led a fulfilling life. He'll be sorely missed. Groat, a native of the Pittsburgh region, participated in two sports as a student at Duke. He played basketball for the Blue Devils and was a two-time All-American. As a junior in 1950–51, he broke an NCAA single-season scoring record with 831 points. Additionally, in 1952, Groat guided the Duke baseball team to its first College World Series victory. Later that year, he signed with the Pirates after being selected by the Fort Wayne Pistons with the third overall pick in the NBA Draft. Groat only participated in one NBA season before missing the following two to serve in the Army. Branch Rickey, the general manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates, forced Groat to pick between basketball and baseball once he got back from active duty. Groat decided on baseball.