Lou Brock

Lou Brock was a dominant leadoff hitter and base-stealer for the St. Louis Cardinals, twice a World Series champion.

Louis Clark Brock was born on June 18, 1939, in El Dorado, Arkansas, the seventh of nine children born to Paralee Brock, a domestic worker and field laborer, following his father's departure from the family when Brock was two. Raised in deep poverty in Collinston, Louisiana, in a home without running water or electricity, Brock worked the cotton fields alongside his family from an early age, and first connected with baseball listening to radio broadcasts of Jackie Robinson's Brooklyn Dodgers. Brock earned a baseball scholarship to Southern University and signed with the Chicago Cubs in 1960, debuting the following year. After several unremarkable seasons, the Cubs traded him to the St. Louis Cardinals in June 1964 in a deal widely regarded as one of the most lopsided in baseball history, given pitcher Ernie Broglio in return. Brock blossomed immediately in St. Louis, helping the Cardinals win the 1964 World Series in his first partial season with the club, and went on to become the most feared base stealer of his generation, leading the National League in steals eight times. In 1974, at age 35, he broke Maury Wills's single-season stolen base record with 118, and in 1977 he surpassed Ty Cobb's long-standing career record, finishing his career with 938 stolen bases — a mark that stood until Rickey Henderson broke it in 1991. Brock retired in 1979 with 3,023 career hits, becoming just the 14th player in MLB history to reach 3,000, and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985 in his first year of eligibility. He died on September 6, 2020, at age 81.

Speedy leadoff hitter and prolific base stealer

Hall of Fame outfielder who held the all-time stolen base record for 15 years

• 2x World Series champion (1964, 1967)
• 6x All-Star
• 3,000 hit club
• Hall of Fame 1985