David William Ricketts (July 12, 1935 – July 13, 2008) was an American

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the ( home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the ca ...

and

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

who played parts of six seasons (, , –) with the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

and Pittsburgh Pirates. Ricketts was a reserve catcher on the

1967 World Series The 1967 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1967 season. The 64th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the American League (AL) champion Boston Red Sox and the National Leag ...

champion Cardinals and their

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Janu ...

pennant winners. He later served as a longtime bullpen coach of the Cardinals (1974–1975, 1978–1991), including their

1982 World Series The 1982 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1982 season. The 79th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the National League (NL) champion St. Louis Cardinals and the Am ...

champions and 1985 and 1987 pennant winners, after having been the bullpen coach for the Pirates from 1971 to 1973, including the

1971 World Series The 1971 World Series was the championship round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1971 season and featured the first night game in its history. The 68th edition of the Fall Classic was a best-of-seven playoff between the defending World Series ...

champions. Over his career, he batted .249 with 1

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

and 20

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the ba ...

in 130 games played. Ricketts was born in Pottstown, Pennsylvania; his older brother

Dick Dick, Dicks, or Dick's may refer to: Media * ''Dicks'' (album), a 2004 album by Fila Brazillia * Dicks (band), a musical group * ''Dick'' (film), a 1999 American comedy film * "Dick" (song), a 2019 song by Starboi3 featuring Doja Cat Names ...

was the first pick in the

1955 NBA Draft The 1955 NBA draft was the ninth annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on April 13, 1955, before the 1955–56 season. In this draft, eight remaining NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college bask ...

, and played three years in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

before pitching briefly for the Cardinals. Dave Ricketts played basketball with his brother at

Duquesne University Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit ( or ; Duquesne University or Duquesne) is a private Catholic research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded by members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit , image = Holy Gh ...

, graduating in 1957 with a degree in education. He married Barbarann Boswell on August 17, 1957, and they had a daughter, Candace, and a son, David Jr., who died of spinal cancer at age 10 in 1972. He served in the military from 1958 to 1959. During his minor league career, he led Pacific Coast League catchers with 12 double plays in 1962 while with the

Portland Beavers The Portland Beavers was the name of separate minor league baseball teams, which represented Portland, Oregon, in the Pacific Coast League (PCL). The team was established in 1903, the first year of the PCL. Franchise history Many baseball teams ...

, and led International League catchers with 11 double plays the following year while with the

Atlanta Crackers The Atlanta Crackers were Minor League Baseball teams based in Atlanta, Georgia, between 1901 and 1965. The Crackers were Atlanta's home team until the Atlanta Braves moved from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1966. History Atlanta played its first ...

; he also led the IL in passed balls in both 1963 and 1964, playing for the

Jacksonville Suns The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in Jacksonville, Florida, and are named for shrimp caught in the area. The team pla ...

the latter season.''The Sporting News Baseball Register'' (1981), pp. 594-95. Ricketts' tenure as a coach with the Cardinals was interrupted by two seasons as a

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

in the Cardinals farm system; he led the Sarasota Cardinals to a fourth-place finish in the

Gulf Coast League The Florida Complex League (FCL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in Florida, United States. Before 2021, it was known as the Gulf Coast League (GCL). Together with the Arizona Complex League (ACL), it forms the l ...

in 1976, and the

Johnson City Cardinals The Johnson City Cardinals were a Minor League Baseball team based in Johnson City, Tennessee. The team was affiliated with the St. Louis Cardinals organization from 1975 through 2020 and played in the Rookie-level Appalachian League. The team wo ...

to a third-place finish in the Appalachian League in 1977. Ricketts died of

renal cancer Kidney cancer, also known as renal cancer, is a group of cancers that starts in the kidney. Symptoms may include blood in the urine, lump in the abdomen, or back pain. Fever, weight loss, and tiredness may also occur. Complications can include spr ...

on July 13, 2008, one day after his 73rd birthday.

References

External links

Dave Ricketts
at Pura Pelota (Venezuelan Professional Baseball League) {{DEFAULTSORT:Ricketts, Dave 1935 births 2008 deaths African-American baseball coaches African-American baseball players Atlanta Crackers players Baseball players from Pennsylvania Baseball players from St. Louis Deaths from cancer in Missouri Deaths from kidney cancer Duquesne Dukes baseball players Duquesne Dukes men's basketball players Duquesne University alumni Indianapolis Indians players Jacksonville Suns players Lancaster Red Roses players Leones del Caracas players Major League Baseball bullpen coaches Major League Baseball catchers Major League Baseball third basemen Minor league baseball managers Navegantes del Magallanes players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela People from Pottstown, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh Pirates coaches Pittsburgh Pirates players St. Louis Cardinals coaches St. Louis Cardinals players Tigres del Licey players American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Toledo Mud Hens players Tulsa Oilers (baseball) players American men's basketball players 20th-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American people