Bro. Lou Brock | Rho Chapter
Louis Clark Brock was born on June 18, 1939, in El Dorado, Arkansas, and raised in Louisiana. Although he didn’t play organized baseball until high school, he developed a passion for the sport by listening to radio broadcasts. While attending Southern University, Brock earned an athletic scholarship and quickly improved his performance, raising his batting average from .189 to .500 in his second year. He was also initiated into Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., Rho chapter. Brock played a key role in leading his university to a championship and earned a spot on the U.S. baseball team for the 1959 Pan American Games. After a tryout with the Chicago Cubs, he signed with the team in 1960 and made his MLB debut in 1961.
Brock struggled with the Cubs, but after being traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1964, his career took off. He became a key player in the Cardinals' 1964 World Series win, hitting .348 with 33 stolen bases. He would go on to dominate base-stealing, leading the NL in steals for eight years and setting a single-season record with 118 steals in 1974, surpassing Maury Wills. Brock also excelled at hitting, posting six consecutive seasons with 190 or more hits.
In the 1967 World Series, he set a record with seven stolen bases, and by 1977, he broke Ty Cobb’s career stolen base record. Brock became the 14th player to reach 3,000 hits in 1979. He retired at 40 after the 1979 season, having played 19 years in the majors with a .293 batting average, 938 stolen bases, and 3,023 hits. A six-time All-Star, Brock was known for his speed, with his .391 World Series average remaining the highest for players with 20 or more games. He also holds the NL record for career stolen bases.
Brock’s legacy includes a .959 fielding percentage, numerous stolen base records, and contributions to the Cardinals’ success in multiple World Series.
Bro. Brock transisition to the Omega Chapter on September 6, 2020
Awards:1967 The Babe Ruth Award (The World Series Most Valuable Player), 1971 MLB Player of the Month Award, 1974 Baseball Digest Player of the Year Award, 1974 MLB Player of the Month Award. 1974 The Sporting News Major League Player of the Year Award, 1974 The Sporting News Player of the Year Award, 1975 Roberto Clemente Award, 1977 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award, 1979 Hutch Award, 1979 MLB Player of the Month Award, 1979 The Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year Award, 1980 Slocum Award (Now: Jack Lang Award), 1985 National Baseball Hall of Fame, 2014 St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame
