Before Alvin Dark made baseball history as a player and manager he played college football at Louisiana State University. The same LSU that will be playing for the Southeastern Conference title and a chance at the national championship this weekend.
Dark was a three sport star at LSU out of Lake Charles High School. He lettered in baseball, basketball and football. He was a star in all three though he only played one season of football. Nicknamed ‘Blackie’, Dark is so revered in LSU baseball history that the school named its stadium after him.
In 1942 the 5’ 11’ 160 pound sophomore joined the Tigers varsity football team and took his place at halfback in a backfield which included future National Football League stars Steve Van Buren and Dub Jones. Van Buren went on to be elected to the pro football hall of fame and Jones played on championship teams for the Cleveland Browns. Jones’ son Bert would later quarterback at LSU.
Dark more then held his own with these gridiron greats. In the second game of the ’42 season against Texas A@M he scored his first touchdown on a 25 yard run. In game number four he began to show the versatility that would make him the second Rookie of the Year in baseball history, by booming a 70 yard punt against Mississippi. When the kick was nullified by a penalty accepted by LSU, Dark followed with a 73 yard punt.
This was just one of the highlights that Dark provided as he ran for 142 yards in 11 carries. Included in those totals were touchdown runs of 70 and 46 yards.
In the game against Mississippi State, Dark showed the arm which would help him become one of the star shortstops in baseball history by throwing for two scores in a 16-6 LSU win.
The Tigers finished the 1942 season with a record of 7 wins and 3 losses. Dark is credited with rushing for 433 yards on 60 carries.
Because of World War II, Dark never played another game for the LSU eleven. He joined the Navy and was assigned to Southwestern Louisiana Institute where he played football in 1943. In 1945, he was drafted in the second round of the NFL draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. But the Boston Braves offered him a contract for $40,000 so he decided to become a part of the history of baseball.
With the Braves, Dark won Rookie of the year in 1948. He played 14 major league seasons at shortstop and was on the 1954 World Series champion New York Giants. After retiring he managed for 13 seasons. His best season was 1974 when he skippered the Oakland A’s to their third consecutive world’s championship.
Alvin Dark certainly was a very talented athlete. His exploits on the football field at LSU is proof that he may have been one of the greatest athletes in baseball history.