Lou Brock Biography

1939-

American baseball player

During the 1970s, Lou Brock did for base-stealing what slugger Mark McGwire did for the homerun in the 1990s: Brock turned the pursuit of the stolen base into a national pastime. In the history of baseball, few players have covered the 90 feet between the bases more productively. During his 19-year career, Brock stole 938 bases, making him the most prolific base-stealer in the history of baseball to that time. Most notable was his 1974 season, when Brock stole 118 bases, setting a new single-season base-stealing record. Though Brock's name is most often associated with stealing bases, he was also a formidable hitter, with 3,023 hits. Brock was the 14th player in baseball history to pass the coveted 3,000 mark. As Cardinal pitcher John Curtis once told Baseball Digest, "He's the greatest single offensive force I've seen." Throughout his life, Brock has been a force off the field as well. He has spent much of his time raising funds for his scholarship foundation, so he can offer young adults a chance at a college education. Brock knows if no one had taken a chance on him, he wouldn't have had the career he did.

SELECTED WRITINGS BY BROCK:

(With Fran Schulze) Stealing Is My Game. Prentice Hall Press, 1976.