CBF Mourns the Loss of Rich Dauer, Hall of Fame Class of 2021

Excerpts from MLB.com writer Jake Rill, read the full article here.

Rich Dauer, a College Baseball Hall of Famer (Class of 2021) and two-time National Champion with the Southern California Trojans died Monday, February 3. He was 72.

Also a member of the Orioles Hall of Fame, Dauer spent his entire 10-year MLB career in Baltimore and was the starting second baseman on the 1983 World Series championship team. Dauer also had an 18-year career as an MLB coach. He retired following the 2017 season, when he won a second World Series title as the Astros’ first-base coach.

Richard Fremont Dauer was born in San Bernardino, Calif., on July 27, 1952. He was a three-sport athlete at Colton (Calif.) High School, where he played football, basketball and baseball.

Upon graduation, Dauer went on to play baseball at San Bernardino Valley College. He was twice drafted by the A’s -- in the fifth round in 1971, then in the ninth round in ‘72 -- but he opted to return to school both times.

After getting selected by Cleveland in the first round of the secondary phase of the 1972 MLB Draft -- which was split into two parts at the time -- Dauer opted to transfer to the University of Southern California. He became a star for the Trojans, leading them in batting average in both the ‘73 and ‘74 seasons.

Dauer, an All-American at third base, helped lead USC to College World Series titles in both of his seasons at the school. He hit .376 with 26 home runs, 135 RBIs and 124 runs scored over 126 games for the Trojans.

In 1974, Dauer was selected by the Orioles with the No. 24 pick in the first round of the Draft. At the time, Baltimore was getting close to needing a new third baseman, as Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson’s career was winding down.

“We send our deepest sympathies to the Dauer family as well as his many teammates and friends,” the Orioles said in a statement on social media.