View source for Bill Dickey

{{Short description|American baseball player and coach (1907–1993)}}
{{for|people with similar names|William Dickey (disambiguation){{!}}William Dickey}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2013}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Bill Dickey
|image=Bill Dickey 1937 cropped.jpg
|caption=Dickey with the New York Yankees in 1937
|position=[[Catcher]] / [[Manager (baseball)|Manager]]
|birth_date={{birth date|1907|6|6}}
|birth_place=[[Bastrop, Louisiana]], U.S.
|death_date={{death date and age|1993|11|12|1907|6|6}}
|death_place=[[Little Rock, Arkansas]], U.S.
|bats=Left
|throws=Right
|debutleague=MLB
|debutdate=August 15
|debutyear=1928
|debutteam=New York Yankees
|finalleague=MLB
|finaldate=September 8
|finalyear=1946
|finalteam=New York Yankees
|statleague=MLB
|stat1label=[[Batting average (baseball)|Batting average]]
|stat1value=.313
|stat2label=[[Home run]]s
|stat2value=202
|stat3label=[[Run batted in|Runs batted in]]
|stat3value=1,209
|stat4label=Managerial record
|stat4value=57–48
|stat5label=Winning %
|stat5value=.543
|teams=
'''As player'''
* [[New York Yankees]] ({{mlby|1928}}–{{mlby|1943}}, {{mlby|1946}})
'''As manager'''
*[[New York Yankees]] ({{mlby|1946}})
|highlights=
* 11× [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] ([[1933 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1933]], [[1934 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1934]], [[1936 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1936]]–[[1943 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1943]], [[1946 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1946]])
* 7× [[World Series champion]] ({{wsy|1932}}, {{wsy|1936}}–{{wsy|1939}}, {{wsy|1941}}, {{wsy|1943}})
* [[New York Yankees#Retired numbers|New York Yankees No. 8]] retired
* [[Monument Park (Yankee Stadium)|Monument Park]] honoree
|hoflink = National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
|hoftype = National
|hofdate=[[1954 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting|1954]]
|hofvote=80.2% (ninth ballot)
}}
'''William Malcolm Dickey''' (June 6, 1907 – November 12, 1993) was an American professional [[baseball]] [[catcher]] and [[Manager (baseball)|manager]]. He played in [[Major League Baseball]] with the [[New York Yankees]] for 17 seasons. Dickey managed the Yankees as a player-manager in 1946 in his last season as a player.

Dickey played with the Yankees from 1928 through 1943. After serving in the [[United States Navy]] during World War II, Dickey returned to the Yankees in 1946 as a player and manager. He retired after the 1946 season, but returned in 1949 as a coach, in which capacity he taught [[Yogi Berra]] the finer points of [[Catch (baseball)|catching]].

During Dickey's playing career, the Yankees went to the [[World Series]] nine times, winning eight championships. He was named to 11 [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star Games]]. He went on to briefly manage the Yankees as a player-manager, then contribute to another six Yankee World Series titles as a coach. Dickey was elected to the [[Baseball Hall of Fame]] in 1954.

==Early life==
Dickey was born in [[Bastrop, Louisiana]], on June 6, 1907.<ref name="bill dickey returns">[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=KY0yAAAAIBAJ&sjid=dOkFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6187,2320635&dq=bill-dickey&hl=en ''The Miami News''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200308080202/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=KY0yAAAAIBAJ&sjid=dOkFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6187,2320635&dq=bill-dickey&hl=en |date=March 8, 2020 }} via Google News Archive Search</ref> He was one of seven children born to John and Laura Dickey. The Dickeys moved to [[Kensett, Arkansas]], where John Dickey worked as a [[brakeman]] for the [[Missouri Pacific Railroad]]. John Dickey had played baseball for a [[semi-professional]] team based in [[Memphis, Tennessee]]. Bill's older brother, Gus, was a [[second baseman]] and [[pitcher]] in the East Arkansas Semipro League, while his younger brother, [[George Dickey (baseball)|George]], would go on to play in [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB) as a [[catcher]].<ref name=sabr>{{cite web|url=http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/25ce33d8 |title=Bill Dickey |publisher=[[Society for American Baseball Research]] |access-date=July 13, 2012}}</ref>

Dickey attended [[Searcy High School (Arkansas)|Searcy High School]] in [[Searcy, Arkansas]]. At Searcy, Dickey played for the school's baseball team as a [[pitcher]] and [[second baseman]].<ref name=sabr/>

==College career==
Dickey enrolled at [[Little Rock College]], where he played [[guard (American football)|guard]] for the school's [[American football|football]] team and [[pitcher]] for the baseball team.<ref name=sabr/> Dickey substituted for a friend on a semi-professional team based in [[Hot Springs, Arkansas]] as a catcher, impressing the team's manager with his throwing arm.<ref name=sabr/> [[Lena Blackburne]], manager of the [[Little Rock Travelers]], a [[minor league baseball]] team, noticed Dickey while scouting an outfielder on the Hot Springs team. Blackburne signed Dickey to play for his team.<ref name=sabr/>

==Minor league career==
Dickey made his professional debut at the age of 18 with the [[Little Rock Travelers]] of the Class A [[Southern Association]] in 1925. Little Rock had a working agreement with the [[Chicago White Sox]] of the [[American League]], which involved sending players between Little Rock, the [[Muskogee Athletics]] of the Class C [[Western Association]], and the [[Jackson Senators]] of the Class D [[Cotton States League]]. Dickey played in three games for Little Rock in 1925, then was assigned to Muskogee in 1926, where he had a .283 [[batting average (baseball)|batting average]] in 61 games.<ref name=sabr/>

Dickey returned to Little Rock, and batted .391 in 17 games at the end of the season. Dickey played in 101 games for Jackson in 1927, batting .297 with three home runs. As a fielder, Dickey compiled a .989 [[fielding percentage]] and was credited with 84 assists while he committed only nine errors.<ref name=sabr/>

==New York Yankees==
Jackson [[waivers (baseball)|waived]] Dickey after the 1927 season. [[Johnny Nee]], a [[scout (sport)|scout]] for the [[New York Yankees]], wired his boss, [[Ed Barrow]], the Yankees' [[general manager (baseball)|general manager]], that the Yankees should claim him.<ref>Broeg, Bob (June 13, 1970), "Bill Dickey...A Yankee of Distinction", The Sporting News 169: 18</ref> The Yankees purchased Dickey from Jackson for $12,500 (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|12500|1928}}}} in current dollar terms). Though he suffered from [[influenza]] during [[spring training]] in 1928, Dickey impressed Yankees manager [[Miller Huggins]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=MypPAAAAIBAJ&pg=5525,6595778&dq=miller-huggins+bill-dickey&hl=en|title=Huggins Selects The Pirates To Capture Pennant|newspaper=St. Petersburg Times|pages=2–1|date=March 24, 1928|access-date=July 6, 2012}}</ref> Dickey hit .300 in 60 games for Little Rock, receiving a promotion to the [[Buffalo Bisons (1886–1970)|Buffalo Bisons]] of the Class AA [[International League]].<ref name=sabr/> After appearing in three games for Buffalo, Dickey made his MLB debut with the Yankees on August 15, 1928.<ref name=sabr/> He recorded his first hit, a [[triple (baseball)|triple]] off [[George Blaeholder]] of the [[St. Louis Browns]], on August 24.<ref name=sabr/>

[[File:1937 all stars crop FINAL2.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Seven of the American League's [[1937 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1937 All-Star players]], from left to right [[Lou Gehrig]], [[Joe Cronin]], Bill Dickey, [[Joe DiMaggio]], [[Charlie Gehringer]], [[Jimmie Foxx]], and [[Hank Greenberg]]. All seven would eventually be elected to the [[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|Hall of Fame]].]]
Dickey played his first full season in MLB in {{Baseball year|1929}}. He replaced [[Benny Bengough]] as the Yankees' starting catcher, as Bengough experienced a recurrent shoulder injury,<ref>{{cite news |title=Yankees May Get Another Catcher |agency=Associated Press |work=The Rochester Evening Journal |page=1 |date=March 12, 1929 |access-date=December 31, 2011 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=g29gAAAAIBAJ&pg=6420,1209027&dq=benny+bengough&hl=en}}</ref> and Dickey outperformed Bengough and [[Johnny Grabowski]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Dickey May Win Regular Post Behind Bat With Yanks This Season |agency=NEA |work=The Evening Independent |page=11 |date=May 23, 1929 |access-date=December 31, 2011 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=59xPAAAAIBAJ&pg=2675,6471161&dq=benny+bengough&hl=en}}</ref> As a rookie, Dickey hit .324 with 10 home runs and 65 [[runs batted in]] (RBI).<ref name=sabr/> He led all catchers with 95 assists and 13 double plays. In 1930, Dickey hit .339. In 1931, Dickey made only three errors and batted .327 with 78 RBI. That year, he was named by ''[[The Sporting News]]'' to its All-Star Team.<ref name=sabr/>

Although his offensive production was overshadowed by Yankee greats [[Babe Ruth]], [[Lou Gehrig]] and [[Joe DiMaggio]],<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=OFkmAAAAIBAJ&sjid=WE0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=5176,2118563&dq=bill-dickey&hl=en ''St. Petersburg Times''] via Google News Archive Search</ref> Dickey posted some of the finest offensive seasons ever by a catcher during the late 1930s, hitting over 20 [[home run]]s with 100 [[Run batted in|RBI]] in four consecutive seasons from 1936 through 1939.<ref name="bill dickey returns"/> His 1936 batting average of .362 was the highest single-season average ever recorded by a catcher, tied by [[Mike Piazza]] of the [[Los Angeles Dodgers]] in 1997, until [[Joe Mauer]] of the [[Minnesota Twins]] hit .365 in 2009.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.twincities.com/2013/02/21/minnesota-twins-joe-mauer-takes-mike-piazzas-comments-in-stride/|title=Minnesota Twins: Joe Mauer takes Mike Piazza's comments in stride|author=Mike Berardino
|date=February 21, 2013|access-date=March 23, 2024}}</ref>

In 1932, Dickey broke the jaw of [[Carl Reynolds]] with one punch in a game after they collided at home plate, and received a 30-day suspension and $1,000 fine as punishment.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=4ZUxAAAAIBAJ&sjid=1E0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=4104,4385615&dq=bill-dickey&hl=en ''St. Petersburg Times''] via Google News Archive Search</ref> That year, he hit .310, with 15 home runs and 84 RBI. In the [[1932&nbsp;World Series]], he batted 7-for-16, with three walks, 4 RBI, and scored two runs.<ref name=sabr/>

In 1936, Dickey hit .362, finishing third in the AL behind [[Luke Appling]] (.388) and [[Earl Averill]] (.378).<ref name=sabr/> Dickey held out for an increase from his $14,500 salary in 1936, seeking a $25,000 salary. He ended the holdout by agreeing to a contract worth $17,500.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=scoaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=3UsEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5052,1946862&dq=bill-dickey&hl=en ''The Pittsburgh Press''] via Google News Archive Search</ref> Dickey earned $18,000 in 1939.<ref name=salary1940/> Dickey signed a contract for 1940, receiving a $20,500 salary.<ref name=salary1940>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=d2YcAAAAIBAJ&sjid=zk4EAAAAIBAJ&pg=5696,5262026&dq=bill-dickey&hl=en ''The Milwaukee Sentinel''] via Google News Archive Search</ref>

On July 26, 1939, Dickey hit three home runs against the [[St. Louis Browns]] in a 14-1 rout at Yankee Stadium.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1939/B07260NYA1939.htm|title=Bill Dickey 3-Home Run Game Boxscore at Retrosheet|website=retrosheet.org|accessdate= February 8, 2024}}</ref>

The 1941 season marked Dickey's thirteenth year in which he caught at least 100 games, an MLB record. He also set a double play record and led AL catchers with a .994 fielding percentage.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=nZRRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=LWoDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3040,3324920&dq=bill-dickey&hl=en ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette''] via Google News Archive Search</ref>

Dickey suffered a shoulder injury in 1942, ending his streak of catching at least 100 games in a season. When Dickey's backup, [[Buddy Rosar]], left the team without permission to take examinations to join the Buffalo police force and to be with his wife who was about to have a baby, Yankees manager [[Joe McCarthy (manager)|Joe McCarthy]] signed [[Rollie Hemsley]] to be the second string catcher, relegating Rosar to the third string position.<ref name=time>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,773348,00.html?iid=chix-sphere|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121017122609/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,773348,00.html?iid=chix-sphere|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 17, 2012|title=Buddy Gets Protection|access-date=May 30, 2007 | magazine=Time | date=August 3, 1942}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Hemsley Picked For Job Buddy Rosar Gives Up |agency=United Press |work=The Milwaukee Journal |page=6 |date=July 20, 1942 |access-date=November 9, 2010 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=kzUdAAAAIBAJ&pg=4791,1847094&dq=buddy+rosar&hl=en}}</ref> Dickey saw his playing time decrease with the addition of Hemsley.<ref name=sabr/> He returned for the [[1942 World Series]], but was considered to be fading.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Up9aAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-E4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=4881,4607103&dq=bill-dickey&hl=en ''Prescott Evening Courier''] via Google News Archive Search</ref>

Dickey had a terrific season in 1943, batting .351 in 85 games and hitting the title-clinching home run in the [[1943 World Series]].<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=VuNLAAAAIBAJ&sjid=sooDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4840,2291708&dq=bill-dickey&hl=en ''The Free Lance-Star''] via Google News Archive Search</ref> After the season, the 36 year-old Dickey was honored as the player of the year by the New York chapter of the [[Baseball Writers' Association of America]].<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=KDYdAAAAIBAJ&sjid=EiMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4045,2710169&dq=bill-dickey&hl=en ''The Milwaukee Journal''] via Google News Archive Search</ref>

==Manager and coach==
Dickey was rumored to be a candidate for the managerial position with the [[Philadelphia Phillies]] after the 1943 season.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=i7xSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=f30DAAAAIBAJ&pg=4697,6073109&dq=bill-dickey&hl=en ''The Evening Independent''] via Google News Archive Search</ref>

Dickey entered the [[United States Navy]] on March 15, 1944, as he was categorized in [[Class 1-A]], meaning fit for service, by the [[Selective Service System]].<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=jdM0AAAAIBAJ&sjid=oE4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=7327,5942639&dq=bill-dickey&hl=en ''St. Petersburg Times''] via Google News Archive Search</ref> He served at the Navy Hospital Area in Hawaii. He was discharged in January 1946 as a lieutenant senior grade;<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rogers |first1=Thomas |title=Bill Dickey, the Yankee Catcher And Hall of Famer, Dies at 86 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/11/13/obituaries/bill-dickey-the-yankee-catcher-and-hall-of-famer-dies-at-86.html |access-date=25 January 2019 |work=New York Times |date=November 13, 1993|page=30}}</ref> one of his main tasks had been to organize recreational activities in the Pacific.

Returning to the Yankees in 1946, Dickey became the [[player-manager]] of the Yankees in the middle of the {{Baseball year|1946}} season after [[Joe McCarthy (manager)|Joe McCarthy]] resigned. The Yankees did fairly well under Dickey's watch, going 57–48.  However, owner [[Larry MacPhail]] refused to give Dickey a new contract until after the season.  Rather than face the possibility of being a lame-duck manager, the 39 year-old Dickey resigned on September 12, but remained as a player.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xEohYBGQfEgC&dq=joe+mccarthy+resigned+yankees+1946&pg=PA283|title=The Yankee Encyclopedia|first1=Walter|last1=LeConte|first2=Mark|last2=Gallagher|date=March 23, 2003|publisher=Sports Publishing LLC|isbn=978-1-58261-683-4 |accessdate=March 23, 2024|via=Google Books}}</ref> He retired after the season,<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=I_9kAAAAIBAJ&sjid=IoENAAAAIBAJ&pg=2023,831147&dq=bill-dickey&hl=en ''Edmonton Journal Edmonton Bulletin''] via Google News Archive Search</ref> having compiled 202 home runs, 1,209 RBIs and a .313 batting average over his career.

In 1947, Dickey managed the Travelers. The team finished with a 51–103 record, last in the Southern Association.<ref name=sabr/> Dickey returned to the Yankees in 1949 as first base [[coach (baseball)|coach]] and catching instructor to aid [[Yogi Berra]] in playing the position.<ref name="bill dickey returns"/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=524KAAAAIBAJ&pg=6567,1463049|title=Bill Dickey Signs as Yankees Coach|publisher=Ellensburg Daily Record|date=October 28, 1948|access-date=September 25, 2009}}</ref> Already a good hitter, Berra became an excellent defensive catcher.  With Berra having inherited his uniform number 8, Dickey wore number 33 until the 1960 season. Dickey later instructed [[Elston Howard]] on catching, when Berra moved to the outfield.<ref name=sabr/>

===Managerial record===
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%; text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"|Team !! rowspan="2"|Year !! colspan="5"|Regular season !! colspan="4"|Postseason
|-
!Games!!Won!!Lost!!Win %!!Finish!! Won !! Lost !! Win % !! Result
|-
|-
![[1946 New York Yankees season|NYY]]|| {{mlby|1946}}
||105||{{WinLossPct|57|48}}|| resigned || – || – || – || –
|-
! colspan="2"|Total ||105||{{WinLossPct|57|48}}|| || {{WinLossPct|0|0}} || 
|}

===Career statistics===
{| class="wikitable" width=400
|- align=center
| [[Games played|G]]
| [[At bat|AB]]
| [[Run (baseball)|R]]
| [[Hit (baseball)|H]]
| [[Double (baseball)|2B]]
| [[Triple (baseball)|3B]]
| [[Home run|HR]]
| [[Run batted in|RBI]]
| [[Total bases|TB]]
| [[Base on balls|BB]]
| [[Strikeout|SO]]
| [[Batting average (baseball)|AVG]]
| [[On-base percentage|OBP]]
| [[Slugging percentage|SLG]]
| [[On-base plus slugging|OPS]]
| [[Fielding percentage|FLD]]
|-align=center
| 1789
| 6300
| 930
| 1969
| 343
| 72
| 202
| 1209
| 3062
| 678
| 289
| .313
| .382
| .486
| .868
| .988
|}
In 38 World Series games, Dickey batted .255 (37-for-145) with 19 runs, 5 home runs, 24 RBI, and 15 walks.

Source:[https://baseball-reference.com/players/d/dickebi01.shtml Baseball Reference]

==Film career==
While still an active player in 1942, Dickey appeared as himself in the film ''[[The Pride of the Yankees]]'', which starred [[Gary Cooper]] as the Yankee captain and first baseman [[Lou Gehrig]]. Late in the movie, when Gehrig was fading due to the disease that would eventually take his life, a younger Yankee grumbled in the locker room, "the old man on first needs crutches to get around!"—and Dickey, following the script, belted the younger player, after which he said the kid "talked out of turn."

Dickey also appeared as himself in the film ''[[The Stratton Story]]'' in 1949. In the film, Dickey was scripted to take a [[called third strike]] from [[Jimmy Stewart]]'s character. Dickey objected, stating "I never took a third strike. I always swung", and asking the director, [[Sam Wood]], to allow him to swing through the third strike; Wood insisted that Dickey take the third strike. After many takes, Dickey commented: "I've struck out more times this morning than I did throughout my entire baseball career."<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=VZ0yAAAAIBAJ&sjid=b-kFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6148,4934690&dq=bill-dickey&hl=en ''The Miami News''] via Google News Archive Search</ref>

==Personal life==
[[File:Bill Dickey Plaque.png|thumb|upright|Bill Dickey's plaque in the [[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|Baseball Hall of Fame]]]]
On October 5, 1932, Dickey married Violet Arnold, a New York showgirl, at St. Mark's Church in [[Jackson Heights, New York]]. The couple had one child, Lorraine, born in 1935.<ref name=sabr/>

At the time of Lou Gehrig's death, Dickey described Gehrig as his best friend.<ref>{{cite news |title='Best Friend'-McCarthy |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news/26928612/ |access-date=1 August 2023 |work=[[NYDN|Daily News]] |date=3 June 1941 |page=44}}</ref>

Dickey was an excellent quail hunter.<ref name="bill dickey returns"/> He spent part of his retirement in the 1970s and 1980s residing in the Yarborough Landing community on the shore of [[Millwood Lake]] in southwestern Arkansas. He died in [[Little Rock, Arkansas]], in 1993.

==Legacy==
{{MLBBioRet
|Align  = Left
|Image  = BillDickey8.jpg
|Name   = Bill Dickey
|Number = 8
|Team   = New York Yankees
|Year   = 1972
|}}
Dickey was noted for his excellent hitting and his ability to handle [[pitcher]]s.<ref name="bill dickey returns"/> He was also known for his relentlessly competitive nature.

Dickey was inducted into the [[Baseball Hall of Fame|Hall of Fame]] in {{Baseball year|1954}}.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=BgMkAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-yMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5759,4553451&dq=bill-dickey&hl=en ''The Milwaukee Journal''] via Google News Archive Search</ref> In 1972, the Yankees retired the number 8 in honor of Dickey and Berra.<ref name=sabr/> On August 22, 1988, the Yankees honored both Dickey and Berra by hanging plaques honoring them in [[Monument Park (Yankee Stadium)|Monument Park]] at [[Yankee Stadium (1923)|Yankee Stadium]].<ref name=sabr/> Dickey opined that Berra was "An elementary Yankee" who is "considered the greatest catcher of all time."

Dickey was named in 1999 to The Sporting News list of Baseball's Greatest Players, ranking number 57, trailing [[Johnny Bench]] (16), [[Josh Gibson]] (18), [[Yogi Berra]] (40), and [[Roy Campanella]] (50) among catchers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-almanac.com/legendary/lisn100.shtml|title=100 Greatest Baseball Players by The Sporting News : A Legendary List by Baseball Almanac|website=www.baseball-almanac.com|accessdate=March 23, 2024}}</ref> Like those catchers, Dickey was a nominee for the [[Major League Baseball]] All-Century Team, but the fan balloting chose Berra and Bench as the two catchers on the team.

In 2007, [[Dickey-Stephens Park]] opened in [[North Little Rock, Arkansas]].  The ballpark was named after Bill; his brother George; and two famous Arkansas businessmen, [[Jackson T. Stephens|Jackson]] and Witt Stephens.

In 2013, the [[Bob Feller Act of Valor Award]] honored Dickey as one of 37 Baseball Hall of Fame members for his service in the United States Navy during World War II.<ref>[https://actofvaloraward.org/hof-players/ HOF Players] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211008204152/https://actofvaloraward.org/hof-players/ |date=October 8, 2021 }}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Biography|Baseball}}
*[[List of Major League Baseball career runs batted in leaders]]
*[[List of Major League Baseball player-managers]]
*[[List of Major League Baseball players who spent their entire career with one franchise]]
{{-}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Bill Dickey}}
*{{Baseball Hall of Fame profile|dickey-bill}}
*{{baseballstats|mlb=|espn=|br=d/dickebi01|fangraphs=1003271|brm=dickey003wil|retro=D/Pdickb101}}
*{{baseball-reference manager|dickebi01}}
*{{SABR Baseball Biography Project|25ce33d8}}
*{{find a Grave|4651}}
*[https://collection.baseballhall.org/PASTIME/bill-dickey-oral-history-interview-1987-april-27-0 Bill Dickey Oral History Interview - National Baseball Hall of Fame Digital Collection]

{{Navboxes|list1=
{{1928 New York Yankees}}
{{1932 New York Yankees}}
{{1936 New York Yankees}}
{{1937 New York Yankees}}
{{1938 New York Yankees}}
{{1939 New York Yankees}}
{{1941 New York Yankees}}
{{1943 New York Yankees}}
{{1949 New York Yankees}}
{{1950 New York Yankees}}
{{1951 New York Yankees}}
{{1952 New York Yankees}}
{{1953 New York Yankees}}
{{1956 New York Yankees}}
{{New York Yankees HOF}}
{{New York Yankees retired numbers}}
{{Monument Park honorees}}
{{1954 Baseball HOF}}
{{Baseball Hall of Fame members}}
{{New York Yankees managers}}
}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dickey, Bill}}
[[Category:1907 births]]
[[Category:1993 deaths]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Louisiana]]
[[Category:National Baseball Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:American League All-Stars]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball catchers]]
[[Category:New York Yankees players]]
[[Category:New York Yankees managers]]
[[Category:New York Yankees coaches]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball player-managers]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Little Rock, Arkansas]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball first base coaches]]
[[Category:People from Bastrop, Louisiana]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Morehouse Parish, Louisiana]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball players with retired numbers]]
[[Category:Little Rock Travelers players]]
[[Category:Muskogee Athletics players]]
[[Category:Jackson Senators players]]
[[Category:Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players]]
[[Category:People from Searcy, Arkansas]]
[[Category:People from Kensett, Arkansas]]
[[Category:United States Navy personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:United States Navy officers]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]