By Solomon Crenshaw Jr.
Before Bucky Dent was a legendary baseball player for the storied New York Yankees, he was a running back on the football field.
“I loved football more than I did baseball back when I was growing up,” said Dent, the special guest at today’s Rickwood Classic game between the Birmingham Barons and the Chattanooga Lookouts (weather permitting). “In my senior year, I had to make a choice. I chose baseball because I thought I could go a little further. I think I made the right choice.”
Who could argue a decision that led the former running back from Savannah, Georgia, into notoriety as the starting shortstop of back-to-back World Series champions in 1977 and 1978. He was MVP of the latter championship, as the Yanks knocked off the Los Angeles Dodgers for the second year in a row.“When I was growing up, I was Mickey Mantle,” Dent said, recalling his youthful years playing in his backyard. “I always dreamed of hitting a big home run, playing in the big game, winning a World Series. I got a chance to do it all.
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