Hawkeye Jack Dittmer: Iowa Time Machine May 31, 2014

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On May 31, 2014, Hawkeye legend and MLB shortstop Jack Dittmer passed away. The pride of Elkader, Ditter was one of the University of Iowa’s great multi-sport athletes and a reminder of a vanishing era in American sports.

Born in Elkader in 1928, he came to the University of Iowa after starring in high school and went on to earn nine varsity letters in baseball, football, and basketball. At Iowa, he became a first-team All-Big Ten performer and a second-team All-American in baseball, while also standing out on the football field.

Dittmer went on to play six seasons in Major League Baseball, debuting on June 17, 1952, and playing for the Boston and Milwaukee Braves and the Detroit Tigers. His strongest big-league year came in 1953, when he hit .266 with 134 hits, 22 doubles, 9 home runs, and 63 RBIs, while also earning a reputation for solid defense. Across his six seasons, he finished with a .232 batting average, 283 hits, 24 home runs, and 136 RBIs.

Dittmer returned to Elkader, where he contributed to the community in admirable ways for the rest of his life after his athletic career. He was more than a baseball name in the record book or a football star on campus. He represented an older ideal of the athlete-scholar, one built in the fields and gymnasiums of Iowa and tested on the professional diamond. #Iowa #OTD #History #Baseball #CollegeSports