December 26, 1954

On Dec. 26, 1954, Osborne “Ozzie” Smith, who would become known as “The Wizard of Oz” to baseball fans worldwide, was born in Mobile, the second child of Clovis and Marvella Smith. When he was 6, Smith’s family moved to the Watts section of Los Angeles, where they witnessed the riots of 1965. He frequented L.A. Dodgers baseball games on the way to becoming an outstanding high school athlete. Smith earned an academic scholarship to Cal State, walked onto the baseball team and set school records before being drafted by the San Diego Padres in 1977. He became an All-Star, World Series champion and winner of the Gold Glove 13 straight times. In 1997, Smith was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame and in 2002 into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Read more at Encyclopedia of Alabama.

Professional baseball player Ozzie Smith is shown at Busch Memorial Stadium in 1983, during his time playing for the St. Louis Cardinals. (Johnmaxmena, John Mena, Wikipedia)

Osborne “Ozzie” Smith (1954- ) was the long-time shortstop for the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team, taking the field with his signature backflip. Smith’s consistently top-notch play and 13 Gold Glove Awards led to his induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2002. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, courtesy of The Birmingham News)

Ozzie Smith fields a ground ball during a special event at Doubleday Field in Cooperstown, New York, 2002. (Monowi, Wikipedia)

Ozzie Smith throws out the ceremonial first pitch at a Carolina Mudcats-Mobile BayBears game in Mobile in April 2008. Smith retired from Major League Baseball in 1997, the year he was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, courtesy of The Mobile Press-Register)

A St. Louis Cardinals fan cheers on Ozzie Smith after the veteran shortstop hit a two-run home run in the fourth inning against the Houston Astros at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri. (Mandator/Getty Images)

For more on Alabama’s Bicentennial, visit Alabama 200.