As the professional baseball season is coming to a close, let’s highlight one of Concordia’s "claims to fame": Dick Siebert. Before Richard “Dick” Siebert played first base for the Philadelphia Athletics and became one of the greatest coaches in college baseball history, he played baseball for Concordia Academy and Concordia College.
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| College Baseball Team, 1929 or 1930. Dick "Lefty" Siebert is center of the seated row. |
“Lefty” was pitcher for the Concordia Comets. During the 1929 season, his junior year of college, he was approached by a scout for the St. Louis Cardinals; however, Dick had every intention of become a Lutheran minister and wanted to continue his education at Concordia Seminary. While at Seminary, baseball continued to tug at Dick’s heartstrings until he got an offer he couldn’t refuse and signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1932. Between 1932 and 1945, Dick played pro baseball with the Dodgers, Cubs, Cardinals, and finally, the Philadelphia A’s as the first baseman. During the off season, Dick coached basketball for Concordia, Saint Paul high school and junior college.
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| 1937 Concordia Comets basketball team. Coach Dick Siebert's first year as basketball coach. |
In 1948, he took a job as head coach for the University of Minnesota Golden Gopher’s baseball team. Over the next 30 years, Coach Siebert became one of the greatest coaches in college baseball history, was twice named as college baseball’s Coach of the Year, is a member of the College Baseball Hall of Fame, and a recipient of the Lefty Gomez Trophy for outstanding contribution and service to college baseball.
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