Playing Career
A native of Miami, Florida, Howser grew up in West Palm Beach, Florida, graduated from Palm Beach High School and attended college at Florida State University. He was a member of the Sigma Nu fraternity. At Florida State, he received honors twice as an All-American shortstop and set a school record with a batting average of .422 in 1956. Signed by the Kansas City Athletics, he hit .280, stole 37 bases, scored 108 runs, and led American League shortstops in putouts and errors in his rookie season. For this, he was selected to the 1961 All-Star team and named The Sporting News rookie of the year.
As his production declined in the following two years, his only other season as a regular was with the Cleveland Indians in 1964. His major league career spanned eight seasons with three clubs: Kansas City, Cleveland, and the New York Yankees.
Immediately following his playing career, he was the third base coach with the Yankees for ten seasons (1969–78), then spent one year, 1979, as head baseball coach at his alma mater, Florida State.
Read more about this topic: Dick Howser
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