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

in Major League Baseball who played parts of six seasons (, , –) with the St. Louis Cardinals and

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

. Ricketts was a reserve catcher on the

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

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. * Januar ...

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

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 and 20 runs batted in in 130 games played. Ricketts was born in

Pottstown, Pennsylvania Pottstown is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Pottstown was laid out in 1752–53 and named Pottsgrove in honor of its founder, John Potts. The old name was abandoned at the time of the incorporation as a borough in 1815. In 1888 ...

; his older brother Dick was the first pick in the 1955 NBA Draft, and played three years in the National Basketball Association before pitching briefly for the Cardinals. Dave Ricketts played basketball with his brother at Duquesne University, 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 The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

catchers with 12

double play In baseball and softball, a double play (denoted as DP in baseball statistics) is the act of making two outs during the same continuous play. Double plays can occur any time there is at least one baserunner and fewer than two outs. In Major Leag ...

s in 1962 while with the Portland Beavers, and led

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...

catchers with 11 double plays the following year while with the Atlanta Crackers; he also led the IL in

passed ball In baseball, a catcher is charged with a passed ball when he fails to hold or control a legally pitched ball that, with ordinary effort, should have been maintained under his control, and, as a result of this loss of control, the batter or a ru ...

s in both 1963 and 1964, playing for the Jacksonville Suns 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 in the Cardinals farm system; he led the Sarasota Cardinals to a fourth-place finish in the Gulf Coast League in 1976, and the Johnson City Cardinals to a third-place finish in the

Appalachian League The Appalachian League is a collegiate summer baseball league that operates in the Appalachian regions of Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina. Designed for rising freshmen and sophomores using wood bats, its season runs from ...

in 1977. Ricketts died of renal cancer on July 13, 2008, one day after his 73rd birthday.

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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