Quick Facts about Duke Snider

American baseball player Edwin Donald “Duke” Snider spent much of his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Duke was selected to the National League (NL) All-Star team eight times and was voted the 1955 NL Most Valuable Player (MVP) runner. Duke played for a number of other teams over his career, including the Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Mets, and San Francisco Giants.

How much is the net worth of Duke Snider?

In 1956, Duke’s annual salary was $50,000. Besides, during his New York Mets days, his yearly salary was $36,000 in 1963. As a professional baseball player his networth was $2 million. This, however, was very low compared to other players such as Mickey Mantle, whose annual salary was about $100,000.

Duke Snider | Early Childhood and Education

Duke was born on 19 September 1926 in Los Angeles, California, U.S. He was born as Edwin Donald Snider. Later on, his father nicknamed him “Duke” at age five because of his swagger. His dad would comment, “Here comes the Duke.” He was born to Ward Snider (Father) and Florence Johnson Snider (Mother).

Moreover, he was the only child of the two. Ward Snider himself was a semipro baseball player in his native Ohio. Duke’s nationality is American, and his ethnicity is White. It is not known what religion he followed or whether he followed any at all. He graduated from Compton High School, class of 1944. Duke was known to be a gifted all-around athlete and played track, basketball, football, and baseball during his high school years.

It is claimed that he could throw the football up to 70 yards far and hence was a strong-armed quarterback. He was on the same basketball team as Pete Rozelle, the National Football League’s future commissioner. He pitched and batted profoundly on the baseball team.

Duke Snider | Age, Height, and Physical Appearance

Duke was 84 years old when he passed away, and since he was born on 19 September, he was a Virgo. He stood 6 feet 0 inches (or 1.83 m) tall at his prime. His weight was 150 pounds (or 68 kg). He was a handsome man with a muscular build with brown hair and blue eyes, perfect for an athlete’s structure.

Duke Snider | Career

He was an American professional baseball player who achieved a lot throughout his life. From playing for Los Angeles Dodgers to San Francisco Giants, here are his achievement in detail below.

Little League

One of Branch Rickey’s scouts discovered Duke Snider in the 1940s. Following that, Duke was given a baseball contract in 1943 that included a $750 bonus and a $250 monthly wage. He briefly participated in baseball with the Montreal Royals of the International League in 1944, hitting twice, and the Newport News Dodgers of the Class B Piedmont League in the same year.

He participated in 131 games there, batting.294 and led the league with 34 doubles and 9 home runs. In the outfield, he recorded 25 assists as well. In 1946, he played for the Fort Worth Cats, and in 1947, he played for the St. Paul Saints. Everyone could see his potential clearly due to his powerful swing, grace in the field, and blazing speed. Duke was regarded as the crowning achievement of the Dodgers.

Premier League

Duke had the opportunity to try out for the Brooklyn Dodgers during their spring training in 1947, and he served as the team’s backup outfielder on opening day. He received his first at-bat in the major league on April 17 during the Brooklyn Dodgers’ second game of the 1947 campaign, when he singled. He participated in 39 more games that season after that.

Duke Snider was assigned to the St. Paul team on July 4th, 1947, but was later transferred back to the Dodgers at the close of the season, just in time for the World Series matchup with the New York Yankees.

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Tax Fraud Controversy

During the 1980s and 1990s, there was a trend of retired players doing public appearances and signing autographs.As such, Duke was also in high demand. However, he took some of his cash fees and failed to declare those payments on his income-tax returns.In 1995, both he and fellow Hall of Famer Willie McCovey was indicted for tax evasion. They both pleaded guilty.Duke admitted to having more than $100,000 income from those appearances in the time period of 1984 to 1993.He was given two years of probation, fined $5000, and ordered to pay as much as $57,000 in back taxes, interest and penalties. Later, Snider apologized publicly.

Duke Snider | Player Profile

Duke had a great throwing arm, grace, and athleticism. He had a remarkable ability, competitiveness, and drive to succeed.Coaches used to admire his potential, explosive swing, his grace in the field, and his blazing speed on the bases. During his prime days, he was known for his difficult temperament and temper. He was immature, moody, and temperamental.

Who is Duke Snider’s wife? Personal Life and Children

Duke married his high school sweetheart Beverly Null. They had four children together; Pam, Kurt, Kevin, and Dawna. There aren’t many details regarding their marriage as this was before social media and the internet.However, there were never any rumors of Duke dating any other woman in his entire life. He was committed to a single woman only till he died.

At one point in his life, he had an avocado ranch and a bowling center. However, the bowling center was not a success and had to close it. He even had to sell his beloved ranch.He suffered a heart attack in 1987 and lost twenty-five pounds, and had to undergo valve replacement surgery.

What year did Duke Snider die? Death

For years, Duke had diabetes, hypertension, and other illnesses. He died on 27 February 2011 at the age of 84 at the Valle Vista Convalescent Hospital in Escondido, California.  He was the last living Brooklyn Dodger on the field for the final out of the 1955 World Series.

Social Media Influence

Duke was not involved in social media. However, you can see others post about him on Twitter and Instagram.