Baseball in Wartime - Bill Dickey

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Bill Dickey

Date and Place of Birth: June 6, 1907 Bastrop, Louisiana

Died: November 12, 1993 Little Rock, Arkansas
Baseball Experience: Major League
Position: Catcher
Rank: Lieutenant Junior Grade
Military Unit: US Navy

Area Served: Pacific Theater of Operations

William M "Bill" Dickey was born on June 6, 1907 in Bastrop, Louisiana. He was 21 years old when he joined the Yankees in 1928. The following year he became the Yankees' number one catcher and remained in that position until 1943. During that time he appeared in eight world series and ten all-star games, and his .362 batting average in 1936 was third best in the American League.

Dickey was drafted on June 3, 1944, even though he was 37 and suffered from a bad sinus condition. He was sworn in at Memphis, Tennessee, as a deck volunteer specialist with the US Naval Reserve.

Dickey served as an athletic officer in the Pacific and managed the US Navy team that won 1944 Service World Series in Hawaii.

Dickey was back with the Yankees in 1946 and succeeded Joe McCarthy as the club's manager in May. The following year he began managing in the minor leagues but was brought back to the Yankees to work on Yogi Berra's defensive skills.

Bill Dickey was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1954. He passed away in Little Rock, Arkansas on November 12, 1993, aged 86.

Created May 13, 2007.

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