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Born in Springfield on June 9, 1926, Roy Smalley, Sr. graduated from Central High School before attending Drury for two years. A leading scorer for the 1943 Drury basketball team that was 13-8 and the 1944 team which was 11-4, the talented Springfield native signed a professional baseball contract with the Chicago Cubs in the spring of 1944. Over the next 18 years Roy enjoyed and an outstanding baseball career. He spent 11 years at the major league level which included stints with the Cubs (1948-53), the Milwaukee Braves (1954) and the Philadelphia Phillies (1955-58). Roy, who retired from professional baseball in 1962, enjoyed what was possibly his best year in the majors in 1950 as a member of the Chicago Cubs. That year he had 21 home runs and 85 runs-batted-in and he led the National League's shortstops in assists, double plays and total chances. In all, Roy played in 872 games at the major league level and had 601 hits and 305 runs-batted-in in 2,644 plate appearances. Roy currently resides in St. Albans, Missouri and is active in golf and golf related programs. He was inducted into the Springfield Sports Hall of Fame on April 24, 2001.
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