Johnny Dickshot

John Oscar Dickshot (born John Oscar Dicksus, January 24, 1910 – November 4, 1997), nicknamed "Ugly" Johnny Dickshot, was an American professional baseball left fielder.

He played in Major League Baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates, the New York Giants, and the Chicago White Sox.

John Oscar Dicksus was born in Waukegan, Illinois, on January 24, 1910.

He was of German and Lithuanian heritage.

His father worked as a foreman in a local steel mill, where the timekeepers misheard his last name, registering him as "Dickshot".

The family adopted it as their new surname.

He had a sister, Martha, who also played baseball in Waukegan.

When he was young, Dickshot's skull was fractured by older children throwing bottles in his backyard; he lost consciousness for three days and doctors inserted a metal plate in his head.

During his youth, Dickshot worked a number of jobs, starting with delivering newspapers when he was in grammar school.

He also worked in the steel mill with his father, and spent some of his free time watching the Chicago Cubs play at Wrigley Field.

Dickshot attended Waukegan High School.

He did not participate in sports until his senior year, as his father had insisted until then that he should work after school.

As a senior, he lettered in baseball, football, basketball, and swimming.

In football, Dickshot was named All-State as a halfback.

He graduated from high school in 1928.

His professional career, including the seasons he spent in Minor League Baseball, ran from 1930 to 1947.

He received the nickname "Ugly" because he proclaimed himself to be "the ugliest man in baseball" during his career.

From Waukegan, Illinois, Dickshot began playing as a semi-professional and in the minor leagues in the early 1930s.

Dickshot began playing professional baseball in 1930 with the Dubuque Tigers of the Class D Mississippi Valley League.

He had a .309 batting average in 19 games played with Dubuque.

He did not play professionally in 1931, staying in Waukegan to work for his family in the steel mill during the Great Depression as his father had fallen ill.

He played semi-professional baseball locally in 1931, and Nick Keller, the Illinois State Representative from Waukegan who also coached the team, scouted Dickshot for the Milwaukee Brewers of the Class AA American Association.

The Brewers signed Dickshot to a contract in September 1931, and Dickshot attended spring training with the Brewers in 1932.

The Brewers assigned him to the Fort Smith Twins of the Class C Western Association.

In July, the Twins relocated to Muskogee, Oklahoma, as the Muskogee Chiefs, and a week later, the Brewers reassigned Dickshot to the Rock Island Islanders of the Mississippi Valley League.

Dickshot batted .262 with 11 stolen bases in 71 games for Fort Smith / Muskogee, and batted .264 with 34 stolen bases in 66 games for Rock Island.

Milwaukee exercised its option on Dickshot after the 1932 season, and assigned him to the San Antonio Missions of the Class A Texas League at the start of the 1933 season.

Though he was batting .397, the Missions released him in late April to make room on their roster for Larry Bettencourt, and he signed with the Fort Worth Cats of the Texas League.

The Cats sent Dickshot to the Waco Bruins of the Class C Dixie League in late-May, but Dickshot refused to report to Waco.

He returned to Waukeagan, where he played semi-professional baseball.

He was scouted and signed by the Pirates in 1934, and they promoted him to the major leagues in 1936.

A free agent heading into the 1934 season, Dickshot signed with Rock Island, now in the Class A Western League.

At the end of May, Dickshot was released by Rock Island, and he signed with Cedar Rapids Raiders, also of the Western League.

He batted .343 with 16 home runs and 20 stolen bases for Rock Island and Cedar Rapids.

While he played for Cedar Rapids, a scout for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball's National League noticed Dickshot, and signed him.

Cedar Rapids sold Dickshot to the Little Rock Travelers of the Class A Southern Association for the 1935 season, and he batted .309 for Little Rock.

The Pirates gave Dickshot a significant role in 1937, but played him sparingly in 1938.

A strong season in the minor leagues in 1939 earned him a brief trial with the Giants.

Dickshot played in the minor leagues until the White Sox acquired him for the 1944 and 1945 seasons.

He returned to the minor leagues in 1946 and his career ended in 1947.