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Former Five Sport Athlete: Former Ragin’ Cajuns Star Alvin Dark Passes Away At 92First Cajuns alum to reach the Major Leagues; led Cajuns to 1944 Oil Bowl victory
LAFAYETTE – Alvin Dark, who helped lead the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns to an undefeated season on the gridiron in 1943 and would go on to win Major League World Series titles as both a player and manager, died Thursday at his home in Easley, S.C. He was 92.Alvin Dark featured on the cover of Dark, a native of Comanche, Okla., began his career as a two-sport letterwinner at LSU, where he was an all-SEC halfback in 1942 and played on the school’s SEC championship baseball team in 1943. Known as the "Swamp Fox," Dark transferred to Louisiana (then known as Southwestern Louisiana Institute) as part of the V-12 Navy College Training Program and became a five-sport letterwinner for the then-Bulldogs.
Athletic Network Footnote by Ed Dugas Click here for the undefeated 1943 Football season led by Alvin Dark at QB who completed the season with a victory in the Oil Bowl in Houston. Click here for Alvin Dark’s jersey being retired at the Dec. 2, 2006 ULM football game. Click here for Alvin Dark’s AN profile.
Please click here for the photo gallery of the reception honoring Alvin Dark on Dec. 1, 2006 (extensive gallery – allow time for it to upload). The Daily Advertiser, Nov. 14, 2014 Former Cajun, Tiger, MLB manager Alvin Dark dies at 92 Alvin Dark, a member of the LSU Athletic Hall of Fame who helped lead the UL Ragin’ Cajuns to an undefeated season on the gridiron in 1943 and would go on to win Major League World Series titles as both a player and manager, died Thursday at his home in Easley, S.C. He was 92. Dark, a native of Comanche, Okla., began his career as a two-sport letterwinner at LSU, where he was an all-SEC halfback in 1942 and played on the school’s SEC championship baseball team in 1943. Known as the "Swamp Fox," Dark transferred to UL (then known as Southwestern Louisiana Institute) as part of the V-12 Navy College Training Program and became a five-sport letterwinner for the then-Bulldogs. Playing halfback for head coach Louis Whitman, Dark led the team to a 5-0-1 record and the school’s first-ever bowl appearance. Playing in the Oil Bowl in Houston, Texas, Dark kicked a field goal, threw a touchdown pass and ran for another score to lead the Ragin’ Cajuns to a 24-7 win over Arkansas A&M (now Arkansas-Monticello) on Jan. 1, 1944. Dark, who grew up in Lake Charles, was a member of the Cajuns’ basketball, golf and track teams, and also excelled briefly on the diamond for the Ragin’ Cajuns in 1944, posting a .462 average in six games. His season was cut short after being one of eight players called up for duty to serve with the U.S. Marines on the Asian war front in World War II. After his return home from WWII, Dark signed a major league contract with the Boston (now Atlanta) Braves. He was originally drafted in the second round by the Philadelphia Eagles of the 1945 draft, but declined the invitation. He returned to Lafayette in 1947 to complete his degree in physical education with the aspirations of playing for the Ragin’ Cajuns again, but he was unable to having already signed a pro contract. Instead, Dark helped coach the Ragin’ Cajuns football team. Dark, the first Ragin’ Cajuns alum to play in the major leagues, made his pro debut with Boston in 1946 and spent time in the minors before playing his first full season in the majors beginning in 1948. That season where he was part of a double-play combination that included Eddie Stanky, Dark hit .322 and was named the Rookie of the Year, joining Jackie Robinson as the only players in Major League history to win the award for the entire league. He was traded to the New York Giants in 1951, where he was a member of the NL Pennant winner. It was Dark, swinging on an 0-2 pitch by Brooklyn’s Don Newcombe, who got the scratch single that started the ninth inning rally climaxed by Bobby Thomson’s dramatic homerun. The Giants would advance to the World Series before falling to the New York Yankees. In 1954, the Leo Durocher-managed Giants finally captured their first World Series title (since 1933) with a four-game sweep of the heavily favored Cleveland Indians. He was "the cement that holds the ball club together," Durocher said of Dark in 1954, just before the Giants clinched the pennant. Dark also played for the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Braves (his original club) before retiring in 1960. A three-time National League All-Star as a player (1951-52 and 1954), Dark posted a career .287 batting average in 14 seasons with 127 home runs and 757 RBI. He returned to the Giants, now located in San Francisco, in 1961 as manager and led the team to a third-place finish with an 85-69 record. The following year, San Francisco won the NL Pennant with a 103-62 record before falling to the Yankees in seven games. In 1966, Dark began the first of two stints with the Athletics, then in Kansas City, leading them to a 126-155 record. Dark spent four seasons as manager in Cleveland, posting one winning season (86-75 in 1968) during his tenure. He returned to the Athletics, now in Oakland, in 1974 and guided a team that featured Reggie Jackson, Sal Bando, Rollie Fingers, Vida Blue and Cy Young winner Catfish Hunter to the AL Pennant and World Series victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers. The following season, the A’s lost to Boston in the American League Championship Series before Dark would eventually finish his managerial career in 1977 with the San Diego Padres. Accordingly, he became the first man to manage All-Star teams for both leagues: the National League in 1963 and the American League in 1975. Dark was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 1976. He was inducted into the LSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 1981.
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