On This Day In Alabama History: Baseball Star Ozzie Smith Was Born
By Alabama NewsCenter Staff
On Dec. 26, 1954, Osborne “Ozzie” Smith, who would become known as “The Wizard of Oz” to baseball fans worldwide, was born in Mobile, the second child of Clovis and Marvella Smith. When he was 6, Smith’s family moved to the Watts section of Los Angeles, where they witnessed the riots of 1965. He frequented L.A. Dodgers baseball games on the way to becoming an outstanding high school athlete. Smith earned an academic scholarship to Cal State, walked onto the baseball team and set school records before being drafted by the San Diego Padres in 1977. He became an All-Star, World Series champion and winner of the Gold Glove 13 straight times. In 1997, Smith was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame and in 2002 into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
To read the full article, please visit the Alabama NewsCenter website.
Category: ALL POSTS, Partner News Stories
About the Author (Author Profile)
Alabama News Center tels the stories of the people and businesses powering the states of Alabama, striving to make Alabama a wonderful place to live and work.Subscribe
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more just like it.
