Alvin Dark facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Alvin Dark
Alvin Dark circa 1953
Shortstop / Manager
Born: (1922-01-07)January 7, 1922 Comanche, Oklahoma, U.S.
Died: November 13, 2014(2014-11-13) (aged 92) Easley, South Carolina, U.S.
Batted: Right Threw: Right
debut
July 14, 1946, for the Boston Braves
Last appearance
October 2, 1960, for the Milwaukee Braves
MLB statistics
Batting average	.289
Hits	2,089
Home runs	126
Runs batted in	757
Managerial record	994–954
Winning %	.510
Teams
As player Boston Braves (1946, 1948–1949) New York Giants (1950–1956) St. Louis Cardinals (1956–1958) Chicago Cubs (1958–1959) Philadelphia Phillies (1960) Milwaukee Braves (1960) As manager San Francisco Giants (1961–1964) Kansas City Athletics (1966–1967) Cleveland Indians (1968–1971) Oakland Athletics (1974–1975) San Diego Padres (1977)
Career highlights and awards
3× All-Star (1951, 1952, 1954) 2× World Series champion (1954, 1974) Rookie of the Year (1948)

Alvin Ralph Dark (January 7, 1922 – November 13, 2014) was a famous American baseball player and manager. People called him "Blackie" and "The Swamp Fox." He played as a shortstop in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 14 years. He played for teams like the Boston/Milwaukee Braves, New York Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, and Philadelphia Phillies.

After his playing career, Alvin Dark became a manager for several MLB teams. These included the San Francisco Giants, Kansas City/Oakland Athletics, Cleveland Indians, and San Diego Padres. He was chosen for the All-Star team three times. He also won the World Series twice: once as a player in 1954 and once as a manager in 1974. In 1948, he was named the Rookie of the Year.

Alvin Dark's Early Life and College Years

Alvin Dark was born in Comanche, Oklahoma. He was the third of four children. His family moved to Lake Charles, Louisiana, where he grew up. Alvin couldn't go to school until he was seven because he had illnesses like malaria and diphtheria.

When he got to high school, he was a great athlete. He played baseball, basketball, and football. In football, he was an All-State player. He also led his basketball team. He went to Louisiana State University (LSU) on a scholarship for baseball and basketball.

College Sports and Military Service

At LSU, Alvin Dark played baseball, basketball, and football. In 1943, during World War II, he joined the V-12 Navy College Training Program. This program helped him train to become an officer in the United States Marine Corps. He transferred to Southwestern Louisiana Institute (now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette) for this training.

He played football there and helped his team have an undefeated season in 1943. They even won the Oil Bowl game! He was also a strong baseball player, hitting .462. After college, he became a Marine officer in 1945. He served in the Marines until 1946.

Alvin Dark's Baseball Playing Career

Alvin Dark loved baseball more than football. In 1946, he signed a big contract with the Boston Braves. He joined the team right after his military service ended.

Playing for the Boston Braves (1946, 1948–49)

Alvin Dark made his MLB debut on July 14, 1946. He was a pinch runner in a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He got his first hit, a double, in August of that year. He only played a few games in 1946.

In 1947, he played in the minor leagues for the Milwaukee Brewers. He was the starting shortstop and became an All-Star. He was also named the Rookie of the Year in the minor leagues. He led the league in runs scored and doubles.

1949 Bowman baseball card of Dark with the Boston Braves

Alvin Dark returned to the Boston Braves in 1948. He quickly became the starting shortstop. He had a 23-game hitting streak that year. He also hit his first major league home run. He finished the season with a .322 batting average. This was one of the best in the National League (NL).

He was named the MLB Rookie of the Year in 1948. He was only the second player to win this award. He helped the Braves win the pennant, which means they won their league. However, they lost the World Series to the Cleveland Indians.

In 1949, Dark continued as the Braves' shortstop. He had several games with many hits and runs batted in (RBI). After the 1949 season, the Braves traded Alvin Dark and second baseman Eddie Stanky to the New York Giants.

Playing for the New York Giants (1950–56)

When Alvin Dark joined the Giants, his manager, Leo Durocher, made him the team captain. This was a surprise to many. Dark had a great first year with the Giants in 1950. He had many multi-hit games and hit 16 home runs.

In 1951, Dark became an All-Star for the first time. He led the NL in doubles with 41. He also had a .303 batting average. The Giants tied with the Dodgers at the end of the season. They played a special three-game series to decide who would win the NL pennant. In the final game, Dark got a key hit in the ninth inning. Then, Bobby Thomson hit a famous home run called the "Shot Heard 'Round the World." This home run won the pennant for the Giants!

In the 1951 World Series, Dark hit a home run in Game 1. He had a hit in every game of the series and batted .417. But the Giants lost the series to the New York Yankees.

1952 Bowman baseball card of Dark with the New York Giants

Dark continued to play well in 1952. He was chosen for the All-Star Game again. He batted .301 and led NL shortstops in putouts and assists.

In 1953, Dark started the season at shortstop. He later played some games at second base and even in left field. He hit 23 home runs, which was a record for NL shortstops at the time. He even got to pitch one inning in a game, which was something he always wanted to do!

In 1954, Dark was definitely the Giants' shortstop. He had many games with four or five hits. He was the starting shortstop in the All-Star Game for the third time. He hit 20 home runs, becoming the first NL shortstop to hit at least 20 home runs in more than one season. The Giants won the pennant again, and Dark finished fifth in the MVP voting.

In the 1954 World Series, the Giants played the Cleveland Indians. The Indians had won 111 games, which was a lot! But Dark played great, batting .412 with a hit in every game. The Giants swept the Indians in four games to win the championship! It was their first championship since 1933.

Dark circa 1955

In 1955, Dark had some injuries. He broke a rib and separated his shoulder, which made him miss many games. Even with injuries, he still hit nine home runs. After the season, he received the first Lou Gehrig Memorial Award. This award is given to a player who shows great character and honesty.

In 1956, Dark started the season with the Giants. But in June, he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals. In 48 games with the Giants that year, he batted .252.

Playing for Other Teams (1956–60)

Dark in 1957

Alvin Dark played 100 games for the Cardinals in 1956. He batted .286. In 1957, his range as a shortstop wasn't as good as before. He still led the NL in putouts and double plays for shortstops.

In 1958, he started at shortstop for the Cardinals but soon moved to third base. In May, he was traded to the Chicago Cubs. He continued to play third base for the Cubs. He had many good hitting games, including one with four hits and three RBI.

In 1959, Dark stayed at third base for the Cubs. He hit six home runs, including a grand slam. He also had a career-high nine triples.

In 1960, Dark was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. He got his 2,000th career hit in April. After playing 55 games for the Phillies, he was traded back to the Braves, who were now in Milwaukee. He played as a pinch hitter and utility player for the Milwaukee Braves. He played his last major league game on October 2, 1960.

Alvin Dark decided to retire as a player after the 1960 season. He had played 14 years in MLB. He finished his career with a .289 batting average, 2,089 hits, and 126 home runs.

Alvin Dark's Managerial Career

After retiring as a player, Alvin Dark became a manager. He was traded back to the San Francisco Giants in October 1960 so they could hire him as their new manager.

Managing the San Francisco Giants (1961–64)

One of the first things Dark did as Giants manager was change the locker room. He made sure players were not separated by race. In his first year, 1961, the Giants finished third in the NL.

In 1962, the Giants were in a close race for the NL pennant with the Dodgers. Dark was known for a clever trick at Candlestick Park, the Giants' home stadium. Before a series against the Dodgers, he had the groundskeepers soak the infield dirt around first base. This made it muddy and harder for fast players like Maury Wills of the Dodgers to steal bases. Because of this, Dark earned the nickname "The Swamp Fox."

Candlestick Park, the Giants' home stadium during Dark's managerial tenure, where he once had the infield flooded to keep Maury Wills from stealing bases.

The Giants won the pennant in 1962 after another tie-breaker series with the Dodgers. They then played the Yankees in the World Series. It was a very close series, going all seven games. The Giants lost 1–0 in the final game.

In 1964, Dark made Willie Mays the captain of the Giants. Mays was the first African-American captain in MLB history. Dark faced some controversy that year when a newspaper article quoted him saying things about black and Hispanic players. Dark said he was misquoted. The Giants were close to winning the pennant that year but finished fourth. Dark was fired during the last game of the season.

Managing Other Teams (1966–77)

After leaving the Giants, Dark coached for the Cubs in 1965. Then, in 1966, he was hired to manage the Kansas City Athletics. The team improved a lot in his first year. However, he was fired in 1967 after a disagreement with the team owner, Charlie Finley, about a player's suspension.

Dark then managed the Cleveland Indians from 1968 to 1971. In 1969, he also became the team's general manager. He later realized that one person shouldn't do both jobs. He was fired in 1971, even though he had two years left on his contract.

In 1974, Charlie Finley rehired Dark to manage the Athletics, who had moved to Oakland. Dark had become more serious about his Christian faith. He led the team to their third straight World Series win! This made him only the third manager at the time to win pennants in both the NL and the American League (AL).

In 1975, the Athletics won their division again. But they lost in the playoffs. Dark was not rehired for 1976. Finley said Dark was "too busy with church activities" after Dark made a comment about Finley during a church talk.

Dark spent 1976 out of baseball. In 1977, he was hired to manage the San Diego Padres. He finished the season with them. He hoped to stay, but a new general manager fired him during spring training in 1978. This was only the second time a manager had been fired during spring training.

Alvin Dark ended his managerial career with 994 wins and 954 losses. He had a winning percentage of .510.

Managerial Style

Alvin Dark was known for standing at the front of the dugout with one foot up. He also had a unique way of evaluating players. He used a point system to see who his best players were. Players got points for hits in important situations or for moving runners forward. But they lost points for mistakes like running past a base. He later stopped using this system to avoid upsetting players.

After his managing career, Dark worked as a farm system evaluator for the Cubs and a minor league director for the White Sox in the 1980s.

Managerial Record

Alvin Dark's Legacy and Personal Life

Alvin Dark was a "fiery ballplayer" who was tough to strike out. Many people thought he was a great shortstop. Some even believed he should be in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.

In 1976, Dark was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. He was also elected to the LSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 1981. A street near LSU's campus in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is named Alvin Dark Avenue in his honor.

Alvin Dark was married twice. He had four children with his first wife, Adrienne. Later, he married Jackie Troy, and he adopted her two children. He was known for being a very religious person and often spoke about his Christian faith.

He was good friends with his former teammate, Eddie Stanky. Dark said Stanky knew a lot about baseball.

Alvin Dark's career in baseball lasted over 30 years as a player and manager. He enjoyed playing golf and even played in professional-amateur tournaments. In 1980, he wrote a book about his life in baseball.

In 1983, Dark and his wife Jackie moved to Easley, South Carolina. He started the Alvin Dark Foundation, which supports Christian charities. Alvin Dark passed away in 2014 at the age of 92 from Alzheimer's disease.

See Also

• List of Major League Baseball career hits leaders
• List of Major League Baseball career runs scored leaders
• List of Major League Baseball annual doubles leaders