Lou Brock Childhood

Louis Clark Brock was born on June 18, 1939 in El Durado, AR. He was the son of Paralee and Maud Brock. Lou’s parents separated early in his childhood.. His mother moved him and his siblings to La, a poverty stricken and segregated area. Despite his upbringing Brock was able to display both his academic and athletic talents. He was a bright kid and it would be the path that gave him a higher education. As for baseball, Brock didn’t start playing the game until he was a teenager. However the late start to the sport didn’t stunt his growth as he would become one of the best base runners in the history of the game. 

Lou Brock High School Stats and Awards

Brock attended Union High School. Although the speedy Brock played baseball and basketball, it was academics that made a way for him to college. He excelled in math and science . With his hard work in the classroom, Brock would attain an academic scholarship to Southern University.  

Lou Brock College Career Stats and Notes

Brock attended Southern University for years. However it got off to a rocky start. Due to not meeting grade requirements, Brock lost his academic scholarship. This setback, although hard to take at the time for Brock, did alter his road map greatness as he turned to athletics. Brock would stay at the university by securing an athletic scholarship he earned when he made the baseball team. The speedy Brock, who was a pitcher, transitioned to the outfield and his baseball career was launched. He was a sensational baseball player for Southern. His play helped the team win the NAIA World Series . The secret was out now and Brock was making a name for himself. He was selected to play in the Pan-Am Games in 1959. Brock used the momentum to try out for the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox organizations the following year. In the end, Brock landed a minor league contract with the Cubs.  

Lou Brock MLB Career Stats and Notes

Brock made his major league debut on September 10, 1961. He played for the Cubs for four seasons. However, in the middle of the 1964 season, Brock was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals.  The trade ignited Brock and his path to the Hall of Fame can be traced to this moment. His entire career picked up and he helped the Cardinals win the World Series in his first season. Brock played for the Cardinals for sixteen seasons, retiring after the 1979 season. A six-time All-Star and 2-time World Series champion, Brock was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985.

Lou Brock Sets New Stolen Bases Record in 1974

Although Brock was an all around talent who is in the 3,000 hit club (3,023), he is best known for his base stealing. He was the all-time leader with 938 bases stolen until Rickey Henderson broke that mark in 1990. Brock led the league in stolen bases eight times. He also set a then-single season record of 118 stolen bases in 1974. In doing so he became only the second player at that time to crack the 100 stolen bases mark. The record he broke of 104 by Maury Wills in 1962 was the other player. Since then two other players joined the club, Vince Coleman and Henderson. Brock’s single season record was broken by Henderson who stole 130 bases in 1982, a record that is still standing.

List of Baseball Hall of Fame Members