Chicago Tribune

11/07/1997

   Johnny Dickshot, 87, an outfielder with the Chicago White Sox in the mid-1940s and self-proclaimed "ugliest man in baseball," died Tuesday at home in Waukegan.

   A graduate of Waukegan High School, Mr. Dickshot's professional baseball career began in the early 1930s when he joined the Milwaukee Brewers, then still a minor league club. He entered the majors with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1935. In a time before big-time baseball salaries, Mr. Dickshot worked at a North Chicago steel mill in the off-season.

   He joined the White Sox in 1944 and had his best season the next year, his last year as a pro, when he had a .302 batting average and batted in 58 runs. His lifetime average was .276.

   Upon retirement, Mr. Dickshot opened a tavern in Waukegan, called the Dugout, which he ran for the next 20 years. His granddaughter, Michelle McDermott, said he would often call his wife at home from the bar, demanding that she look in his encyclopedia to settle a dispute over baseball trivia. He threw out a first pitch in the new Comiskey Park in June 1994.

   Other survivors include his wife, Julie; four daughters, Mary Anne Kennedy, Judith Ducey, Kathleen Kamakaiwi and Cynthia Logue; a son, John; 14 grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

   Visitation will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Sunday in Petroshius Bradley Funeral Home, 313 10th St., North Chicago. Mass will be said at 10 a.m. Monday in Holy Family Church, 914 8th St., Waukegan.