He rates as one of the most accomplished two-sport athletes in American sports history, a college All-America in baseball and basketball as well as one of only 13 to play both at the professional level.

[1] Groat was the National League Most Valuable Player with the world champion Pittsburgh Pirates in 1960 when he won the batting title with a .325 average.

For seven seasons from 1956 to 1962, Groat teamed with future Hall of Fame second baseman Bill Mazeroski to give the Pirates one of the most efficient keystone combinations in baseball history.

[1] In his final regular-season game, Groat scored 48 points against the visiting University of North Carolina, the most ever by a Tar Heels opponent.

He had always hoped to play near his hometown of Swissvale, a mere six miles from the Pirates' home stadium, Forbes Field.

When Rickey repeated his offer in 1952 as expected, Groat signed his first professional contract, believed to be worth $35,000 to $40,000, which included a lucrative $25,000 bonus.

During his military stint, he led Fort Belvoir teams to worldwide Army championships in baseball and basketball, the first time a single base had achieved the feat in the same year.

[7] In an attempt to improve their tenuous relationship, manager Bobby Bragan named him team captain midway through the season.

On September 29, he threw out the final Giants batter in the last game they played at the Polo Grounds before moving to San Francisco in 1958.

[2] In 1958, Groat hit .300 and led the NL in putouts and double plays, as the Pirates surprised the baseball world with a second-place finish.

One potential trade would have sent Groat to the Kansas City Athletics in exchange for Roger Maris, a highly regarded 24-year-old outfielder.

[9] Groat was considered one of the most difficult hitters to defend against in his era and a master of the hit-and-run play, a skill he developed under Pirates batting coach George Sisler, a two time .400 hitting Hall of Famer.

[2] While Groat hit a mere .214 against the Yankees in the 1960 World Series, partly because of his fractured wrist, he made contributions in three of the four victories.

[2] While the 1962 Pirates bounced back with a 93-win season, Brown had grown concerned about a pitching staff that relied heavily on veterans whose best days were behind them.

The 32-year-old Groat had an inkling that he would be traded while he still had value, and his fears were realized in November, when he was dealt to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for pitcher Don Cardwell, a 15-game winner the previous season.

[9] While Groat produced a career-high 73 RBI in his Cardinals debut, manager Johnny Keane became convinced that he could be even more valuable as a run-producer.

He hit .292, played consistent defense, and continued to mentor younger teammates in a leadership role, as the Cardinals captured their first NL pennant in 18 years.

Three innings earlier, Groat tagged out Mickey Mantle on a pickoff play that thwarted a two-on, two-out threat.

Afterward, as part of a six-player transaction, he was traded with catcher Bob Uecker and first baseman Bill White to the Philadelphia Phillies, whose manager Gene Mauch had been impressed by his skills and leadership for years.

[1] Groat hit .265 in his only full season with the team, after which his contract was sold to the San Francisco Giants in June of the following year.

[2] Less than two months after Groat played his final game of the 1952 baseball season, he made his NBA debut on November 9 with the Fort Wayne Pistons.

Even though the guard could not practice with the team because of his student responsibilities – he commuted from Duke to play in three exhibition games – the transition was a relatively seamless one.

[13] Groat quickly became a fan favorite in Fort Wayne, whose partisans took a liking to his pull-up jump shot, leaping ability, and boundless energy.

In only his second game, the rookie scored a career-high 25 points in a 112–83 rout of the New York Knicks, who had advanced to the NBA Finals the previous season.

He left the vastly improved Pistons in much better position than when he arrived – they had a 24–24 record at the time of his departure en route to a postseason berth.

When Groat was discharged in 1954, Branch Rickey was adamant that his prized shortstop would play only baseball because of the potential health risks that a dual career could pose for him.

He was one of only two regular players to have beaten the New York Yankees in Game 7 of the World Series more than once in their careers, the other being Don Hoak, who accomplished this feat with the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers and 1960 Pirates.