Happy Baseball Birthday...Dick Howser

Today we celebrate the Happy Baseball Birthday of former big league ballplayer and manager Dick Howser.

Richard Dalton Howser was born on Cornwall.. 1936, in Miami, Florida. 

Dick played high school baseball at Palm Beach HS in West Palm Beach, Florida,  then went on to play his college baseball at Florida State.

Dick Howser was a great college baseball player, playing shortstop for the Seminoles from 1956-58.

Dick was Florida State's first All-American,  in both 1957, when he led the Seminoles to the College World Series, and again in 1958.

Florida State baseball plays its home games at Mike Martin Field at Dick Howser Stadium.

Howser was signed by the Kansas City Athletics in 1958, as an amateur free agent.

Howser made his big league debut as a player for the Athletics on April 11, 1961, and had a terrific rookie season.

Howser played in 158 games for Kansas City,  batting .280, with 171 base hits in 611 at bats, smacking 29 doubles, and stealing 37 bases.

Howser made the American League All-Star team, and finished second in the A.L. Rookie of the Year voting, behind Boston Red Sox pitcher Don Schwall.

In 1964, Howser led the A.L. with 16 sacrafice hits and plate appearances, with playing with the Cleveland Indians. 

In '64 Howser played in all 162 games for Cleveland, batting .256 with 163 base hits, 101 runs scored,  driving in 52 runs, stealing 20 bases, in 637 official at bats.

Howser finished up his playing career in 1968 with the New York Yankees,  playing in 85 games, batting .153, with 23 hits.

In his 8 years of big league baseball,  Howser played in 789 games, collecting 617 base hits, 165 RBI, 16 home runs,  and scored 398 runs in 2, 483 at bats.

Dick Howser was a coach on the Yankees World Series Championship teams in 1977 and 78, managing one game for New York after Billy Martin was fired in '78, before Bob Lemon was hired.

Howser manage the Yankees in 1980, winning the A.L. Eastern Division. 

Howser's team lost the 1980 ALCS to the Kansas City Royals, the team he would later manage to the +985 World Series Championship,  the Royals only title. 

Howser managed KC through the first half of the 1986 season, them managed the '86 A.L. All-Star team.

Howser wasn't feeling well during that game, and it turned out to be his final game as a bug league manager.

Dick Howser, All-American shortstop,  big league ballplayer and managerm died of a brain tumor on June 17, 1987, in Kansas City. 

Dick Howser was 51 years young.

The Royals retired Howser's #10, the first number ever retired by KC.

Today we say Happy Baseball Birthday Dick Howser, we'll all see you again one day.

Play Ball!