Ozzie Smith

Osborne Earl Smith (born December 26, 1954) is an American former professional baseball player.

Nicknamed "the Wizard of Oz", Smith played shortstop for the San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals in Major League Baseball, winning the National League Gold Glove Award for defensive play at shortstop for 13 consecutive seasons.

In 1965, at age 10, he endured the Watts Riots with his family, recalling, "We had to sleep on the floor because of all the sniping and looting going on."

While Smith was attending junior high school, his parents divorced.

Continuing to pursue his interest in baseball, he would ride the bus for nearly an hour to reach Dodger Stadium, cheering for the Los Angeles Dodgers at about 25 games a year.

Upon becoming a student at Locke High School, Smith played on the basketball and baseball teams.

Smith was a teammate of future National Basketball Association player Marques Johnson on the basketball team, and a teammate of future fellow Hall-of-Fame player Eddie Murray on the baseball side.

After high school, Smith attended Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 1974 on a partial academic scholarship, and managed to walk on to the baseball team.

He learned to switch-hit from Cal Poly coach Berdy Harr.

When Cal Poly's starting shortstop broke his leg midway through the 1974 season, Smith took over the starting role.

Smith was playing semi-professional baseball in Clarinda, Iowa, when in June 1976 he was selected in the seventh round of the amateur entry draft by the Detroit Tigers.

The parties could not agree on a contract; Smith wanted a $10,000 ($0 today) signing bonus, while the Tigers offered $8,500 ($0 today).

He was named an All-American athlete and established school records in career at-bats (754) and stolen bases (110) before graduating in 1977.

Smith returned to Cal Poly for his senior year, then in the 1977 draft was selected in the fourth round by the San Diego Padres, ultimately agreeing to a contract that included a $5,000 signing bonus ($0 today).

Drafted as an amateur player by the Padres, Smith made his major league debut in 1978.

He quickly established himself as an outstanding fielder, and later became known for performing backflips on special occasions while taking his position at the beginning of a game.

Smith won his first Gold Glove Award in 1980 and made his first All-Star Game appearance in 1981.

When Smith clashed with the Padres' owners, Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog flew to San Diego to persuade the shortstop that he would be an appreciated and core component of the St. Louis team.

Herzog's overture worked; Smith waived his contract's "no trade" clause and was traded to the Cardinals for shortstop Garry Templeton in 1982.

Upon joining the Cardinals, Smith helped the team win the 1982 World Series.

Three years later, his game-winning home run during Game 5 of the 1985 National League Championship Series prompted broadcaster Jack Buck's "Go crazy, folks!"

play-by-play call.

Despite a rotator cuff injury during the 1985 season, Smith posted career highs in multiple offensive categories in 1987.

A 15-time All-Star, Smith accumulated 2,460 hits and 580 stolen bases during his career, and won the National League Silver Slugger Award as the best hitter at shortstop in 1987.

Smith continued to earn Gold Gloves and All-Star appearances annually until 1993.

During the 1995 season, Smith had shoulder surgery and was out nearly three months.

After tension with his new manager Tony La Russa developed in 1996, Smith retired at season's end, and his uniform number (No. 1) was subsequently retired by the Cardinals.

Smith served as host of the television show This Week in Baseball from 1997 to 1998.

Smith was born in Mobile, Alabama, the second of Clovi and Marvella Smith's six children (five boys and one girl).

His father worked as a sandblaster at Brookley Air Force Base.

When Smith was six, his family moved to the Watts section of Los Angeles.

His father became a delivery truck driver for Safeway stores, while his mother became an aide at a nursing home.

His mother was an influential part of his life who stressed the importance of education and encouraged him to pursue his dreams.

Smith played a variety of sports in his youth, though considered baseball to be his favorite.

He developed quick reflexes through various athletic and leisure activities, such as bouncing a ball off the concrete steps in front of his house, moving in closer to reduce reaction time with each throw.

When not at the local YMCA or playing sports, Smith sometimes went with friends to the neighborhood lumberyard, springboarding off inner tubes and doing flips into sawdust piles (a precursor to his famous backflips).

He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2002.

He was also elected to the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame in the inaugural class of 2014.

Smith was born in Mobile, Alabama; his family moved to Watts, Los Angeles, when he was six years old.

While participating in childhood athletic activities, Smith developed quick reflexes; he went on to play baseball at Locke High School in Los Angeles, then at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.