View source for Dizzy Dean

{{Short description|American baseball player and coach (1910–1974)}}
{{Distinguish|Dixie Dean}}
{{for-multi|the glam metal singer|Dean Davidson|the Texas politician|Jay Dean (politician)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Dizzy Dean
|position=[[Pitcher]]
|image=Dizzy Dean Time.jpg
|caption=Dean on the cover of ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine in 1935
|bats=Right
|throws=Right
|birth_date={{Birth date|1910|1|16}}
|birth_place=[[Logan County, Arkansas|Lucas, Arkansas]], U.S.
|death_date= {{death date and age|1974|7|17|1910|1|16}}
|death_place=[[Reno, Nevada]], U.S.
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate=September 28 
|debutyear=1930
|debutteam=St. Louis Cardinals
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate=September 28
|finalyear=1947
|finalteam=St. Louis Browns
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label=[[Win–loss record (pitching)|Win–loss record]]
|stat1value=150–83
|stat2label=[[Earned run average]]
|stat2value=3.02
|stat3label=[[Strikeout]]s
|stat3value=1,163
|teams=
* [[St. Louis Cardinals]] ({{mlby|1930}}, {{mlby|1932}}–{{mlby|1937}})
* [[Chicago Cubs]] ({{mlby|1938}}–{{mlby|1941}})
* [[St. Louis Browns]] ({{mlby|1947}})
|highlights=
* 4× [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] ([[1934 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1934]]–[[1937 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1937]])
* [[World Series champion]] ({{wsy|1934}})
* [[NL MVP]] (1934)
* 2× [[List of Major League Baseball annual wins leaders|MLB wins leader]] (1934, 1935)
* 4× [[List of Major League Baseball annual strikeout leaders|MLB strikeout leader]] (1932–1935)
* [[St. Louis Cardinals#Retired numbers|St. Louis Cardinals No. 17]] retired
* [[St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum|St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame]]
|hoflink = National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
|hoftype = National
|hofdate= [[1953 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting|1953]]
|hofvote=79.2% (ninth ballot)
}}
'''Jay Hanna''' "'''Dizzy'''" '''Dean''' (January 16, 1910 – July 17, 1974), also known as '''Jerome Herman Dean''' (both the 1910 and the 1920 Censuses show his name as "Jay"), was an American professional [[baseball]] [[pitcher]].<ref name="Dizzy Dean statistics">{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/deandi01.shtml |title=Dizzy Dean statistics |publisher=baseball-reference.com |access-date=January 4, 2012}}</ref><ref name=clrfldid>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=1cRYAAAAIBAJ&pg=6030%2C472038 |work=Spokane Daily Chronicle |location=Washington |agency=Associated Press |last=Broeg |first=Bob |author-link=Bob Broeg |title=Colorful Dean is dead |date=July 17, 1974 |page=17}}</ref><ref name=obterg>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=6KNVAAAAIBAJ&pg=6020%2C3710789 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=Oregon |agency=Associated Press |title=Dizzy Dean dies after heart attack |date=July 17, 1974 |page=1C}}</ref><ref name=ghgupipp>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=l7MeAAAAIBAJ&pg=5058%2C355116 |work=Pittsburgh Press |agency=UPI |title=Gas House Gang's Dizzy Dean dies |date=July 17, 1974 |page=30}}</ref><ref name=hdhowy>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=6aNVAAAAIBAJ&pg=6452%2C4003130 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=Oregon |agency=New York Times |last=Durso |first=Joseph |author-link=Joe Durso |title=Dizzy had his own way |date=July 18, 1974 |page=5C}}</ref> During his [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB) career, he played for the [[St. Louis Cardinals]], [[Chicago Cubs]], and [[St. Louis Browns]].

A brash and colorful personality, Dean is the last [[National League (baseball)|National League]] (NL) pitcher to win 30 games in one season ({{mlby|1934}}).<ref name="1934: Dizzy, Daffy and Ducky">{{cite web |url=http://www.thisgreatgame.com/1934.html |title=1934: Dizzy, Daffy and Ducky |publisher=thisgreatgame.com |access-date=January 4, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120107034959/http://www.thisgreatgame.com/1934.html |archive-date=January 7, 2012}}</ref> After his playing career, Dean became a popular television [[sports commentator]]. Dean was elected to the [[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|Baseball Hall of Fame]] in [[1953 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting|1953]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://baseballhall.org/hof/dean-dizzy |title=Dizzy Dean at the Baseball Hall of Fame |publisher=baseballhall.org |access-date=January 4, 2012}}</ref> When the Cardinals reopened the team [[St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum|Hall of Fame]] in [[2014 St. Louis Cardinals season|2014]], he was inducted in the inaugural class.

==Early life==
Jay Hanna "Dizzy" Dean was born on January 16, 1910, in [[Lucas, Arkansas]], and attended public school only through second grade. He earned his nickname in 1929 in [[San Antonio]], [[Texas]], while in the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] and pitching for the [[Fort Sam Houston]] baseball team. The 19-year-old Dean was on the mound as it took on the MLB's [[1929 Chicago White Sox season|Chicago White Sox]]. As Dean worked his way through the Sox lineup, an exasperated Chicago manager reportedly yelled "Knock that dizzy kid out the box!" He proceeded to call him "dizzy kid" through the rest of the game, and the moniker stuck.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1935-03-24/ed-1/seq-79/|title = Evening star. &#91;volume&#93; (Washington, D.C.) 1854–1972, March 24, 1935, Image 79|date = March 24, 1935|page = 5}}</ref>

==Professional career==
===St. Louis Cardinals (1930, 1932–1937)===
Dean made his professional debut in 1930 and worked his way up to the major leagues that same year, throwing a complete game three-hitter for the [[1930 St. Louis Cardinals season|Cardinals]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://baseballhall.org/hall-of-famers/dean-dizzy|title=Dizzy Dean}}</ref>

====Ace of the Gashouse Gang====
Dean made his major league debut on September 28, 1930, the final day of the 1930 regular season. The 20 year-old earned a [[complete game]] win against the [[Pittsburgh Pirates]], allowing only three hits and one run. He did not pitch in the major leagues the following year. Dean pitched his first full season in 1932 and turned in a stellar rookie campaign, leading the major leagues with 191 strikeouts and four shutouts. He improved again the following year, when he pitched a 3.04 ERA and again led the league with 199 strikeouts. Perhaps his finest game of the 1933 season came on July 30, when he set a modern-era record by striking out 17 batters in the first game of a doubleheader against the [[Chicago Cubs]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/july-30-1933-dizzy-dean-fans-17-cubs-for-new-modern-strikeout-record/|title=July 30, 1933: Dizzy Dean fans 17 Cubs for new modern strikeout record|first=Gregory H.|last=Wolf|publisher=[[Society for American Baseball Research|SABR]]|accessdate=September 26, 2021}}</ref>

Dean was best known for winning 30 games in {{mlby|1934}} while leading the "[[Gashouse Gang]]" [[1934 St. Louis Cardinals season|Cardinals]] to the National League pennant and the [[1964 World Series|World Series]] win over the [[1934 Detroit Tigers season|Detroit Tigers]]. He had a 30–7 record with a 2.66 [[Earned run average|ERA]] during the regular season. His brother, [[Paul Dean (baseball)|Paul]], was also on the team, with a record of 19–11, and was nicknamed "Daffy", although this was usually only done for press consumption. Though "Diz" sometimes called his brother "Daf", he typically referred to himself and his brother as "Me an' Paul." Continuing the theme, the team included [[Dazzy Vance]] and [[Joe Medwick|Joe "Ducky" Medwick]].

St. Louis was the southernmost and westernmost city in the major leagues at the time, and the Gashouse Gang became a de facto "[[Cardinal Nation|America's Team]]." Team members, particularly Southerners such as the Dean brothers and [[Pepper Martin]], became folk heroes in the [[Great Depression|Depression]]-ravaged United States. Americans saw in these players a spirit of hard work and perseverance, as opposed to the haughty, highly paid [[1934 New York Giants (MLB) season|New York Giants]], whom the Cardinals chased for the [[National League (baseball)|National League]] pennant.

Much like later sports legends [[Joe Namath]] and [[Muhammad Ali]], Dean liked to brag about his prowess and make public predictions. In 1934, Dean predicted, "Me an' Paul are gonna win 45 games."<ref name="1934: Dizzy, Daffy and Ducky"/> On September 21, Dean pitched no-hit ball for eight innings against the [[1934 Brooklyn Dodgers season|Brooklyn Dodgers]], finishing with a three-hit shutout in the first game of a doubleheader, his 27th win of the season. Paul then threw a [[no-hitter]] in the nightcap to win his 18th, matching the 45 that Dean had predicted. "Gee, Paul," Dean was heard to say in the locker room afterward, "if I'd a-known you was gonna throw a no-hitter, I'd a-throw'ed one too!" On May 5, 1937, he bet he could strike out [[Vince DiMaggio]] four times in the game. He struck him out his first three at-bats, but when DiMaggio hit a popup behind the plate at his fourth, Dean screamed at his catcher, [[Bruce Ogrodowski]], "Drop it!, Drop it!" Ogrodowski did and Dean fanned DiMaggio, winning the bet. Few in the press now doubted Dean's boast, as he was also fond of saying, "If ya done it, it ain't braggin'." Dean finished with 30 wins, the only NL pitcher to do so in the post-1920 [[live-ball era]], and Paul finished with 19, for a total of 49. The Cards needed them all to edge the Giants for the pennant, setting up a matchup with the [[American League]] champion [[1934 Detroit Tigers season|Detroit Tigers]]. After the season, Dean was awarded the [[National League (baseball)|National League]]'s [[MLB Most Valuable Player Award|Most Valuable Player Award]].

Dean was known for antics which inspired his nickname. In time, perception became reality. In [[1934 World Series#Game 4|Game&nbsp;4]] of the [[1934 World Series]] against Detroit, Dean was sent to first base as a [[pinch runner]]. The next batter hit a potential [[double play]] ground ball. Intent on avoiding the double play, Dean threw himself in front of the throw to first. The ball struck him on the head, and Dean was knocked unconscious and taken to a hospital. Dean later told reporters, "They X-rayed my head and found nothing".<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1992/04/05/books/baseball-they-x-rayed-my-head-and-found-nothing.html "They X-rayed my head and found nothing"], Maria Gallagher, ''New York Times'', April 5, 1992</ref> The ''[[St. Louis Post-Dispatch]]'' and the ''[[Detroit Free Press]]'' merely stated that the X-rays "revealed no lasting injury." 

Although the Tigers went on to win the game 10–4, Dean recovered in time to pitch in [[1934 World Series#Game 5|Game&nbsp;5]], which he lost. After the Cardinals won [[1934 World Series#Game 6|Game&nbsp;6]], Dean came back and pitched a complete-game shutout in [[1934 World Series#Game 7|Game&nbsp;7]] to win the game and the Series for the Cardinals. The Dean brothers accounted for all four wins, with two each.<ref>Diz: The Story of Dizzy Dean and Baseball During the Great Depression, Robert Gregory, Viking Adult (February 13, 1992)  {{ISBN|978-0670821419}}</ref>

[[File:DizzyDeanGoudeycard.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Dizzy Dean 1933 [[Goudey]] baseball card]]

While pitching for the NL in the [[1937 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1937 All-Star Game]], Dean faced [[Earl Averill]] of the [[American League]] [[1937 Cleveland Indians season|Cleveland Indians]]. Averill hit a line drive back at the mound, hitting Dean on the foot. Told that his big toe was fractured, Dean responded, "Fractured, hell, the damn thing's broken!" Coming back too soon from the injury, Dean changed his pitching motion to avoid landing as hard on his sore toe enough to affect his mechanics. As a result, he hurt his arm, losing his great fastball. At the time Dean was injured he sported a 12–7 record. He finished the season 13–10.<ref name="1938: A Rockier Road">{{cite web |url=http://www.thisgreatgame.com/1938-baseball-history.html |title=1938: A Rockier Road |publisher=thisgreatgame.com |access-date=January 4, 2012 }}</ref>

===Chicago Cubs (1938–1941)===
By {{mlby|1938}}, Dean's arm had not recovered. Hopeful it would, Chicago Cubs owner [[Philip K. Wrigley]] ordered scout [[Pants Rowland|Clarence "Pants" Rowland]] to buy Dean's contract at any cost. On April 16, Rowland obtained Dean in a trade for three players (pitchers [[Clyde Shoun]] and [[Curt Davis]] and [[outfielder]] [[Tuck Stainback]]) plus $185,000 in cash—an enormous sum then.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/deandi01.shtml |title=Dizzy Dean/Transactions |author=<!--Not stated--> |date= |website=baseballreference.com |publisher=[[Baseball Reference]] |access-date=April 16, 2023 |quote=}}</ref> In limited use Dean proved exceptional—going 7–1 and posting a 1.81 ERA, by far the best of his career—helping the [[1938 Chicago Cubs season|Cubs]] win the 1938 [[National League (baseball)|National League]] pennant. The Cubs had been in third place, six games behind the first place [[1938 Pittsburgh Pirates season|Pittsburgh Pirates]].<ref name="1938 Chicago Cubs Schedule">{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CHC/1938-schedule-scores.shtml |title=1938 Chicago Cubs Schedule |website=Baseball Reference |access-date=January 4, 2012 }}</ref> By September 27, with one week left in the season, the Cubs had battled back to within a game and a half of the Pirates in the National League standings as the two teams met for a crucial three-game series.<ref name="1938 Chicago Cubs Schedule"/>

Dean pitched the opening game of the series and with an ailing arm, relied more on his experience and grit to defeat the Pirates by a score of 2–1.<ref name="1938: A Rockier Road"/> Dean would later call it the greatest outing of his career.<ref name="1938: A Rockier Road"/> The victory cut the Pirates' lead to a half game and, set the stage for one of baseball's most memorable moments when in the next game of the series, Cubs [[player-manager (baseball)|player-manager]], [[Gabby Hartnett]], hit his famous "[[Homer in the Gloamin']]" to put the Cubs into first place.<ref name="Homer In The Gloamin'">{{cite web |url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070720&content_id=2099223&vkey=news_chc&fext=.jsp&c_id=ch |title=Homer In The Gloamin' |work=mlb.com |access-date=February 12, 2011 }}</ref> The Cubs clinched the pennant three days later.<ref name="1938 Chicago Cubs Schedule"/> Dean pitched gamely in Game 2 of the [[1938 World Series]] before losing to the [[1938 New York Yankees season|New York Yankees]] in what became known as "Ol' Diz's Last Stand".<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.si.com/.amp/mlb/2016/10/28/chicago-cubs-wrigley-field-world-series-history | title=To win World Series, Cubs must reverse history of Wrigley Field in Fall Classic &#124; Sports Illustrated | date=October 28, 2016 }}</ref>

Returning to the Cubs in 1939, Dean made 19 appearances (13 starts) resulting in a 6–4 record with 7 complete games, 2 shutouts, and a still well above league average 3.36 ERA.<ref name="Dizzy Dean statistics"/> The team finished fourth in the NL.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1939/Y_1939.htm |title=The 1939 Season |website=[[Retrosheet]] |accessdate=May 21, 2023}}</ref> Beginning to fail badly, he was limited to just 10 games (nine starts) in 1940 and posted a 3–3 record with a 5.17 ERA,<ref name="Dizzy Dean statistics"/> as the Cubs finished fifth in the league.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1940/Y_1940.htm |title=The 1940 Season |website=[[Retrosheet]] |accessdate=May 21, 2023}}</ref> He appeared in a single game during the 1941 season, pitching just one inning while allowing three runs.<ref name="Dizzy Dean statistics"/> In mid-May, he announced his retirement as a player.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-akron-beacon-journal-curtain-falls/125096394/ |title=Curtain Falls |newspaper=[[Akron Beacon Journal]] |page=35 |date=May 15, 1941 |accessdate=May 21, 2023 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref>

In 1942, Dean appeared in one game for the [[Superior Blues]], a [[Class C (baseball)|Class C]] team in the [[Northern League (baseball, 1902–71)|Northern League]]; as the starting pitcher, he allowed three runs in two innings,<ref name=brm>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=dean--001jay |title=Dizzy Dean Minor Leagues Statistics |website=[[Baseball-Reference.com]] |accessdate=May 21, 2023}}</ref> and then played in the outfield.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-cincinnati-enquirer-diz-to-outfield/125096649/ |title=Diz to Outfield |newspaper=[[The Cincinnati Enquirer]] |page=13 |agency=[[Associated Press|AP]] |date=July 21, 1942 |accessdate=May 21, 2023 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref>

===Semi-professional appearance===
In July 1943, Dean agreed to pitch in a [[Semi-professional sports|semipro]] game between the Green Sox of [[Fremont, Ohio]], and the Detroit Cubs.<ref>"Cubs to Play in Toledo, O." ''Ypsilanti (Michigan) Daily Press'', July 24, 1943, p. 3.</ref> His opponent was popular Negro Leagues pitcher and funnyman [[Peanuts Davis]], who had been playing for the [[Cincinnati Clowns]] previously. The game, played in Toledo, drew a large crowd that expected to see a pitching duel. However, Davis was driven from the mound after one inning. Dean pitched the first four innings, giving up four hits and one run, and then played in right field for the remainder of the game, which the Green Sox won, 14–5.<ref>"Green Sox Beat Cubs 14-5 Before 4,500 at Toledo," ''Fremont, Ohio News-Messenger'', July 26, 1943, p. 7.</ref>

===St. Louis Browns (1947)===
====One-game comeback====
Dean made a one-game major-league comeback on September 28, 1947.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1947/B09280SLA1947.htm |title=Chicago White Sox 5, St. Louis Browns 2 |website=[[Retrosheet]] |date=September 28, 1947 |accessdate=May 21, 2023}}</ref> After retiring as a player, the still-popular Dean was hired as a broadcaster by the perennially cash-poor [[St. Louis Browns]] to drum up some badly needed publicity. After broadcasting several poor pitching performances in a row, he grew frustrated, saying on the air, "Doggone it, I can pitch better than nine out of the ten guys on this staff!" The wives of the Browns pitchers complained, and management, needing to sell tickets somehow, took him up on his offer and had him pitch the last game of the season versus the Chicago White Sox. At age 37, Dean pitched four innings, allowing no runs, and rapped a single in his only at-bat. Rounding first base, he pulled his hamstring. Returning to the broadcast booth at the end of the game, he said, "I said I can pitch better than nine of the ten guys on the staff, and I can. But I'm done. Talking's my game now, and I'm just glad that muscle I pulled wasn't in my throat."

==Broadcasting career==
{{unreferenced section|date=April 2016}}
[[File:Dizzy Dean 1947.jpg|thumb|Dizzy Dean in 1947]]
Following his playing career, Dean became a well-known radio and television [[sportscaster]], calling baseball for the Cardinals (1941–1946), Browns (1941–1948), Yankees (1950–1951), and [[Atlanta Braves]] (1966–1968) and nationally with [[Major League Baseball on Mutual|Mutual]] (1952), [[Major League Baseball on ABC|ABC]] (1953–1954), and [[Major League Baseball on CBS|CBS]] (1955–1965), where he teamed first with [[Buddy Blattner]] then with [[Pee Wee Reese]]. As a broadcaster, Dean was famous for his wit and his often-colorful butchering of the English language. Much like football star-turned-sportscaster [[Terry Bradshaw]] years later, he chose to build on, rather than counter, his image as a not-too-bright country boy, as a way of entertaining fans: "The Good Lord was good to me. He gave me a strong right arm, a good body, and a weak mind." He once saw Browns outfielder [[Al Zarilla]] slide into a base, and said, "Zarilla slud into third!" "Slud" instead of "slid" became a frequently used Dean expression. Thanks to baseball fan [[Charles Schulz]], another Dean expression found its way into a ''[[Peanuts]]'' strip, as Lucy commented on a batter who swung at a pitch outside the strike zone: "He shouldn't hadn't ought-a swang!"

While doing a game on CBS, Dean once said, over the open mic, "I don't know why they're calling this the ''[[Major League Baseball Game of the Week|Game of the Week]]''. There's a much better game, Dodgers and Giants, over on [[Major League Baseball on NBC|NBC]]." Every so often, he would sign off by saying, "Don't fail to miss tomorrow's game!" During rain delays, he was famous for off-key renditions of the "[[Wabash Cannonball]]". These manglings of the language only endeared Dean to fans, being a precursor of such beloved tongue-tangled ballplayers-turned-broadcasters as [[Ralph Kiner]], [[Herb Score]], and [[Jerry Coleman]].

An English teacher once wrote to him, complaining that he shouldn't use the word "ain't" on the air, as it was a bad example to children. On the air, Dean said, "A lot of folks who ain't sayin' 'ain't,' ain't eatin'. So, Teach, you learn 'em English, and I'll learn 'em baseball."

In the 1950s, Dean appeared in guest roles on ''[[Faye Emerson's Wonderful Town]]'' on [[CBS]] and on ''[[The Guy Mitchell Show]]'' on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]].

==Accomplishments==
<div style="float: right">
{{MLBBioRet
|Image  = CardsRetired17.PNG
|Name   = Dizzy Dean
|Number = 17
|Team   = St. Louis Cardinals
|Year   = 1974
|}}
</div>

*Four time [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] selection ([[1934 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1934]], [[1935 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1935]], [[1936 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1936]], [[1937 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1937]])
*Four consecutive strikeout titles (1934–1937)
*Led National League in complete games four consecutive years (1934–1937)
* [[World Series champion]] ({{wsy|1934}}) – starter and winner of two games
*Three time 20-game winner; won 30 games in 1934
*Elected to the [[Baseball Hall of Fame]] in 1953
*MVP in 1934
*Inducted into the [[St. Louis Walk of Fame]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stlouiswalkoffame.org/inductees/?view=achievement|title=St. Louis Walk of Fame Inductees|last=St. Louis Walk of Fame|publisher=stlouiswalkoffame.org|access-date=April 25, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121031162946/http://www.stlouiswalkoffame.org/inductees/?view=achievement|archive-date=October 31, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*Despite having what amounted to only half a career, in {{mlby|1999}}, he ranked Number 85 on "''[[The Sporting News]]'' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players",<ref>[http://www.baseball-almanac.com/legendary/lisn100.shtml 100 Greatest Baseball Players by ''The Sporting News'' : A Legendary List by Baseball Almanac<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> and was nominated as a finalist for the [[Major League Baseball]] All-Century Team.
* St. Louis Cardinals retired his number 17 on Sunday September 22, 1974, 67 days after his death.
* In January, 2014, the Cardinals announced Dean among 22 former players and personnel to be inducted into the [[St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum]] for the inaugural class of [[2014 St. Louis Cardinals season|2014]].<ref>{{cite news |author=Cardinals Press Release |url=http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20140118&content_id=66822534&vkey=pr_stl&c_id=stl |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140126165854/http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20140118&content_id=66822534&vkey=pr_stl&c_id=stl |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 26, 2014 |title=Cardinals establish Hall of Fame & detail induction process |publisher=www.stlouis.cardinals.[[MLB.com|mlb.com]] |date=January 18, 2014 |access-date=January 29, 2014}}</ref>
* Dean was inducted into the [[Baseball Reliquary]]'s [[Baseball Reliquary#Shrine of the Eternals|Shrine of the Eternals]] in 2014.<ref name="BRSOTE Inductees">[http://www.baseballreliquary.org/awards/shrine-of-the-eternals/shrine-of-the-eternals-electees "Shrine of the Eternals – Inductees"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200919092503/http://www.baseballreliquary.org/awards/shrine-of-the-eternals/shrine-of-the-eternals-electees |date=September 19, 2020 }}. Baseball Reliquary. Retrieved 2019-08-14.</ref>

==Later life and death==

In October 1961, Dean announced that a company with which he was associated as vice-president, Dizzy Dean Enterprises, would construct a $350,000 [[Briquette|charcoal briquette]] plant in [[Pachuta, Mississippi]] shortly after the beginning of 1962.<ref name=Conservative>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/12004876/dizzy_dean_enterprises_to_build/ "Dizzy Deal Enterprises to Build Charcoal Plant in State,"] ''The Conservative'' [Carrollton, MS], vol. 97, no. 29 (Oct. 5, 1961), pg. 2.</ref> The plant was anticipated to use $200,000 worth of low-quality hardwood scraps each year in the production of 10,000 tons of briquets annually when fully on line.<ref name=Conservative />

After leaving sportscasting in the late 1960s, Dean retired with his wife, Patricia, to her hometown of [[Bond, Mississippi]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3407900133.html|title=Dean, Dizzy - Dictionary definition of Dean, Dizzy - Encyclopedia.com: FREE online dictionary|website=www.encyclopedia.com}}</ref>

After retiring to Mississippi, Dean was investigated for his role in an interstate gambling ring but was ultimately not charged. The indictments handed down in the [[United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan]] in 1970 named him and his nephew, Paul, as co-conspirators but not defendants. He denied any wrongdoing and cooperated as a witness.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Nelson |first1=Jack |title=Dizzy Dean, Accused Biloxians Tell How It Was |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/111794851/dizzy-dean-accused-biloxians-tell-how/ |access-date=22 October 2022 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=15 July 1970 |pages=21}}</ref>

Dean died July 17, 1974, at age 64 in [[Reno, Nevada]], of a [[myocardial infarction|heart attack]], and was buried in the Bond Cemetery.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=4oEwCgAAQBAJ&dq=dizzy+dean+bond+cemetery&pg=PA98 ''The Baseball Necrology'']</ref> Dean's home in Bond was named ''Deanash'', a combination of his name and his wife's maiden name (Nash); it was willed by Dean's wife to the Mississippi Baptist Convention, which operates foster homes for children in a rural setting.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P5H0ySirN1MC&pg=PA250|title=Mississippi Home-places: Notes on Literature and History|first=Elmo|last=Howell|date=September 7, 1988|publisher=Roscoe Langford|isbn=9780962202605|via=Google Books}}</ref>

==Recognition==
[[File:Dizzy Dean plaque HOF.jpg|right|thumb|Dizzy Dean's plaque at the [[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum]]]]
''[[The Pride of St. Louis]]'', a motion picture loosely based on Dean's career, was released in [[1952 in film|1952]]. [[Dan Dailey]] portrayed Dean. [[Chet Huntley]], who would later gain fame as an [[NBC News]] anchorman, played an uncredited role in the movie as Dean's radio announcing sidekick.

A Dizzy Dean Museum was established at 1152 Lakeland Drive in Jackson, Mississippi. The Dean exhibit is now part of the [[Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame#Museum|Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame & Museum]], located adjacent to Smith-Wills Stadium, a former minor-league baseball park.<ref>[http://www.msfame.com/hof.html Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame & Museum] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090915185853/http://www.msfame.com/hof.html |date=September 15, 2009 }}</ref>

In the 1971 [[sci-fi]] movie ''[[The Resurrection of Zachary Wheeler]]'', [[Leslie Nielsen]] answers incorrectly "Dizzy Dean, 1935" when asked in which season did a pitcher win 30 games before Denny McLain.

Dean was mentioned in the 1949 poem "[[Line-Up for Yesterday]]" by [[Ogden Nash]]:

{{Quote box |width= 18em |border= 4px |align= center |bgcolor= #FAF0E6 |qalign= center | title=Line-Up for Yesterday|quote=''D is for Dean,''<br />''The grammatical Diz,''<br />''When they asked, Who's the tops?''<br />''Said correctly, I is.''
|source= — [[Ogden Nash]], [[Sport (US magazine)|''Sport'' magazine]] (January 1949)<ref>{{cite web|title=Baseball Almanac|url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/poetry/po_line.shtml|access-date=January 23, 2008}}</ref> }}

Dean was referenced in the classic TV sitcom ''[[The Honeymooners]]'' by the character Ed Norton, who justified mooching a second dinner off of [[Ralph Kramden]] by saying, "Look, let's face it, Ralph. Dizzy Dean warms up in the bullpen before the game, but he still pitches." Later in the scene, when tensions rise, Kramden quips "Shut up, Dizzy Dean, and eat your spaghetti!"{{citation needed|date=May 2015}}

Dean was parodied in the 1936 [[Merrie Melodies]] cartoon ''[[Boulevardier from the Bronx]]'' with a character named Dizzy Dan.

Dean was also referenced in the 1939 [[Laurel and Hardy]] film ''[[A Chump at Oxford]]'', when [[Oliver Hardy]] unknowingly called the character of the actual dean at the famous Oxford University a "dizzy dean".

Dean is also featured prominently in some versions of [[Abbott and Costello]]'s "[[Who's on First?]]" comedy sketch. In the sketch, Abbott is explaining to Costello that many ballplayers have unusual nicknames including Dizzy Dean, his brother [[Daffy Dean]], and their "French cousin Goofé Dean" ("goofy" pronounced with a French accent).

Actor [[Ben Jones (US)|Ben Jones]] wrote and performed a one-man play about Dean, entitled ''Ol' Diz''.

The United States Congress designated the U.S. Post Office in [[Wiggins, Mississippi]] as the "Jay Hanna 'Dizzy' Dean Post Office" in 2000 by Public Law 106–236.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-106publ236/pdf/PLAW-106publ236.pdf|title=Public Law 106-236}}</ref> On October 22, 2007, a rest area on [[U.S. Route 49]] in [[Wiggins, Mississippi]], {{convert|5|mi}} south of Dean's home in [[Bond, Mississippi|Bond]], was named "Dizzy Dean Rest Area" after Dean.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-1366598871.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102070810/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-1366598871.html|url-status=dead |archive-date=November 2, 2012 |title=Mississippi DOT Announces Dedication Ceremony for Dizzy Dean |date=October 16, 2007 |agency=[[Federal News Service]] }}</ref>

In [[Morrison Bluff, Arkansas]], about {{convert|2|mi}} south of [[Clarksville, Arkansas|Clarksville]], there is a restaurant, Porky's, with Dizzy Dean memorabilia.{{cn|date=May 2023}}

In 2015, author Carolyn E. Mueller and illustrator Ed Koehler published an animated book titled ''Dizzy Dean and the Gashouse Gang'' ({{ISBN|978-1-68106-002-6}}). The book showcases the antics of Dizzy and his brother [[Paul Dean (baseball)|Paul Dean]], [[Joe Medwick]], [[Pepper Martin]], player/manager [[Frankie Frisch]], and the [[1934 St. Louis Cardinals season]] in their quest to win their third World Series.

Dizzy Dean in one of the characters of ''Mr. Vértigo'', the novel written by the American author [[Paul Auster]] in 1994.

[[Branch Rickey]], who was the Cardinals' general manager during Dean's time with the club, had a high regard for both Dean's talent and his character, while remaining bemused by Dean's casual interpersonal skills. After one of their talks, the well-educated Rickey said, "Tell me why I spent four mortal hours today conversing with a person named Dizzy Dean."[https://sabr.org/journal/article/a-man-of-many-faucets-all-running-at-once/]

==Career statistics==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! W || L || ERA || G || GS || CG || SHO || SV || IP || H || ER || HR || BB || SO || Win Pct. || ERA+
|-
| 150 || 83 || 3.02 || 317 || 230 || 154 || 26 || 30 || 1,967 || 1,919 || 661 || 95 || 453 || 1,163 || .644 || 130
|}
<ref name="Dizzy Dean statistics" />

Dean was an effective hitting pitcher. He posted a .225 [[batting average (baseball)|batting average]] (161-for-717) with 76 [[run (baseball)|runs]], 8 [[home runs]], 76 [[Run batted in|RBI]] and 5 [[stolen bases]]. In five World Series pitching appearances (he was also used in one game as a pinch runner), he hit .333 (5-for-15) with 3 runs, 2 doubles and 1 RBI. Defensively, he was about average, recording a .960 [[fielding percentage]] which was one point higher than the league average at his position.<ref name="Dizzy Dean statistics" />

==See also==
{{Portal|Biography|Baseball}}
* [[List of St. Louis Cardinals team records]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball annual saves leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball annual strikeout leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball annual wins leaders]]
* [[Major League Baseball titles leaders]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*Gregory, Robert. (1992). ''Diz: The Story of Dizzy Dean and Baseball During the Great Depression''. New York: Viking Press. {{ISBN|978-0-670-82141-9}}.
*[[John Heidenry|Heidenry, John]]. (2007). ''The Gashouse Gang: How Dizzy Dean, Leo Durocher, Branch Rickey, Pepper Martin, and Their Colorful, Come-From-Behind Ball Club Won the World Series – and America's Heart – During the Great Depression''. New York: PublicAffairs. {{ISBN|978-1-586-48419-4}}.
*Shapiro, Milton J. (1963). ''The Dizzy Dean Story''. New York: Julian Messner. 
*[[Curt Smith (author)|Smith, Curt]]. (1978). ''America's Dizzy Dean''. St. Louis: Chalice Press. {{ISBN|978-0-827-20014-2}}.
*Staten, Vince. (1992). ''Ol' Diz: A Biography of Dizzy Dean''. New York: HarperCollins. {{ISBN|978-0-060-16514-7}}.

==External links==
{{commons category}}
*{{Baseball Hall of Fame profile|dean-dizzy}}
*{{Baseballstats|mlb=113168|espn=20820|br=d/deandi01|fangraphs=1003106|brm=dean--001jay|retro=D/Pdeand102}}
*{{SABR Baseball Biography Project|40bc224d}}
*[https://www.dizzydeanbbinc.org/ Dizzy Dean Baseball, Inc.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190226050154/https://www.dizzydeanbbinc.org/ |date=February 26, 2019 }}
*[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045049 ''Pride of St. Louis''] Film info at IMDb.com
*[https://www.thedeadballera.com/Obits/Media/Dean.Dizzy.Obit.html Dizzy Dean] at The Deadball Era

{{Texas League Player of the Year}}
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