Marion, "Marty" (Martin W.)
Baseball
b. Dec. 1, 1917, Richburg, SC
Known as "Slats" or the "Octopus" because of his long arms and great range, the 6-foot-2, 170-pound Marion was a mainstay at shortstop with the St. Louis Cardinals for 11 seasons. The Cardinals won four pennants during that time; Marion led NL shortstops in fielding three times and was named the most valuable player in 1944, when he batted only .267 but had a league-leading .972 fielding percentage.
Named to the All-Star team six times, Marion was traded to the St. Louis Browns to become their playing manager in 1952. He retired as a player after the 1953 season but remained as manager for one more year. He also managed the AL's Chicago White Sox from the tail-end of the 11954 season through 1956.
In 1,572 games, Marion had a .263 average with 1,448 hits, including 272 doubles, 37 triples, and 36 home runs. He scored 602 runs and drove in 624.