Ray Dandridge

Raymond Emmitt Dandridge (August 31, 1913 – February 12, 1994), nicknamed "Hooks" and "Squat," was an American third baseman in baseball's Negro leagues. Born in Richmond, Virginia, to Archie and Alberta Thompson Dandridge, he played several sports as a child, including baseball, football, and boxing. After he sustained a leg injury in football, his father made him quit that sport, and he focused on baseball, often playing with a bat improvised from a tree branch and a golf ball wrapped in string and tape. Dandridge lived for a while in Buffalo, New York, before he and his family returned to Richmond, where he played locally for teams in the city's Church Hill district. His short, bowed legs later led to his nicknames.

Dandridge excelled as a third baseman and hit for a high batting average. By the time Major League Baseball was racially integrated, he was considered too old to play, and he never appeared in the major leagues. After his playing career ended, he worked as a major league scout.

Late in his life, Dandridge was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987. In 1999, he was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.