Dick Sanders

Dick Sanders went from versatile athlete at Wichita North High School to even more versatile athlete at Wichita State, where he played baseball, football, basketball and threw the javelin from 1950-52.

Following his junior year at WSU, Sanders signed with the New York Yankees.  In a minor league career interrupted by two years in the U.S. Army, he played four seasons of shortstop at the AAA level for the Yankees and one season in AAA for the Dodgers.

Sanders retired from professional baseball and opened an insurance agency in Wichita.  He played semi-pro baseball and was a standout in the NBC World Series.  He played in eight tournaments.  In 1964, he led Service Auto Glass to the championship and was named tournament MVP.

Sanders was also a respected football and basketball official, working Missouri Valley Conference games for 18 years and six years in the Big 8.

Sanders was a long-time contributor to the Kansas Baseball Hall of Fame and served as the organization’s president from 2007-2021 when he died at the age of 89.  He and wife Treva were married for 65 years.