Ozzie Smith

Quick Facts

Full Name	Ozzie Smith
Occupation	Baseball Player
Date Of Birth	Dec 26, 1954(1954-12-26)
Age	70
Birthplace	Mobile
Country	United States
Birth City	Alabama
Horoscope	Sagittarius

Ozzie Smith Biography

Ozzie Smith is one of the most popular and richest Baseball Player who was born on December 26, 1954 in Mobile, Alabama, United States. A 15-time MLB All-Star shortstop known as “The Wizard” for his amazing defensive play. He has won 13 straight Gold Glove awards from 1980 to 1992 and led his team the St. Louis Cardinals to an World Series Championship in 1982.

Record-breaking double plays, which was set by an unnamed shortstop (1,590) was broken by another great Fielder His record for double plays started by a shortstop (1,590) was broken by another outstanding fielder, Omar Vizquel..

Smith played a variety of sports in his youth, but considered baseball to be his favorite. He developed quick reflexes through various athletic and leisure activity, 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). In 1965, at age 10, he endured the Watts Riots with his family, recalling that, “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. In addition to his academic education, 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 subsequently took over the starting role. Later named an All-American athlete, he established school records in career at bats (754) and career stolen bases (110) before graduating in 1977.

He had three kids together with the ex of his wife Ethel Denise Jackson, whom divorced in the year 1996.

Ozzie Smith Net Worth

Ozzie Smith is one of the richest Baseball Player from United States. According to our analysis, Wikipedia, Forbes & Business Insider, Ozzie Smith 's net worth $15 Million. (Last Update: December 11, 2023)

He would visit an area of a lumberyard and do flips and plunges into the pools of saw dust when he was growing older.

He was admitted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2002. The St. Louis Cardinals retired his number one jersey.

Osborne Earl “Ozzie” Smith (born December 26, 1954) is an American former baseball shortstop who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals from 1978 to 1996. Nicknamed “The Wizard” for his defensive brilliance, Smith set major league records for career assists (8,375) and double plays (1,590) by a shortstop (the latter since broken by Omar Vizquel), as well as the National League (NL) record with 2,511 career games at the position; Smith won the NL Gold Glove Award for play at shortstop for 13 consecutive seasons (1980–1992). A 15-time All-Star, he accumulated 2,460 hits and 580 stolen bases during his career, and he won the NL Silver Slugger Award as the best-hitting shortstop in 1987. 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.

Height, Weight & Body Measurements

Ozzie Smith height 5 ft 10 in Ozzie weight Not Known & body measurements will update soon.

Who is Ozzie Smith Dating?

According to our records, Ozzie Smith married to Ethel Denise Jackson. As of December 1, 2023, Ozzie Smith’s is not dating anyone.

Relationships Record : We have no records of past relationships for Ozzie Smith. You may help us to build the dating records for Ozzie Smith!

Smith was born in Mobile, Alabama, but 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 in high school and college, at Los Angeles’ Locke High School and Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo respectively. 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 he 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 conflict with Padres’ ownership developed, he was traded to the Cardinals for shortstop Garry Templeton in 1982.

Facts & Trivia

Ozzie Ranked on the list of most popular Baseball Player. Also ranked in the elit list of famous people born in United States. Ozzie Smith celebrates birthday on December 26 of every year.

Meanwhile, Smith was winning recognition for his accomplishments on the field. In 1980, he set the single-season record for most assists by a shortstop (621), and began his string of 13 consecutive Gold Glove awards. Smith’s fielding play prompted the Yuma Daily Sun to use the nickname “The Wizard of Oz” in a March 1981 feature article about Smith. While “The Wizard of Oz” nickname was an allusion to the 1939 motion picture of the same name, Smith also came to be known as simply “The Wizard” during his playing career, as Smith’s Baseball Hall of Fame plaque would later attest. In 1981, Smith made his first All-Star Game appearance as a reserve player.

Top Facts about Ozzie Smith

1. Ozzie Smith played for the St. Louis Cardinals (1978-1996).
2. He won 13 Gold Glove Awards for his fielding.
3. Smith was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2002.
4. He had a career batting average of .262.
5. Smith was known as “The Wizard” for his defensive skills.
6. He played in 15 All-Star Games during his career.
7. Smith won a World Series championship with the Cardinals in 1982.
8. He stole over 500 bases during his career.
9. Smith retired with over 2,400 hits and nearly 600 stolen bases.
10. His jersey number (#1) was retired by the Cardinals in 1996.

Did Ozzie Smith do a backflip before every game?

The backflip didn’t create Ozzie Smith; Ozzie Smith created the backflip. Sure, backflips existed before The Wizard, but no one else did it while wearing 13 Gold Glove awards.

Why did Ozzie Smith sell his Gold Gloves?

Ozzie Smith sells Gold Gloves, presumably because he could always get more – SB Nation St. Louis.

Why did Ozzie Smith retire?

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.

What is Ozzie Smith doing?

Passion: Ozzie Smith is known as The Wizard because of the wonderful things he does. He serves as education ambassador for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and is president of the St.

How much is Ozzie Smith baseball card worth?

Depending on which Ozzie Smith card you are considering, the value can range from $10 or less in poor condition to thousands of dollars in pristine condition. His 1979 Topps issue may be his most recognizable but his others can bring hefty prices, too.