Hall of Fame
Rick Hummel is a Quincy native and graduate of Quincy Senior High School. He spent two years at Quincy College before getting his journalism degree at the University of Missouri and moving on to a renowned sports writing career.
Rick is an author and sports columnist best known for his work for the St. Louis Post Dispatch, a 51-year career that started with a young man’s love for sports. Rick auditioned for a job at WGEM-AM when he was 12 years old. He didn’t get that announcing job, but he worked as a student spotter for QHS sports broadcasts. He covered sports for the Quincy Herald-Whig during his summers in college and then worked two years at the Colorado Springs Free Press/Sun while serving in the U.S. Army.
Rick was hired by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in 1971 and took over as beat writer for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1978. He covered countless Cardinals playoffs, including three World Series champions, 35 World Series and the last 42 All-Star games.
Rick was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007, when he was honored with the J. G. Taylor Spink Award for baseball writing. In 2008, Rick was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame and has been awarded the Missouri Sports Writer of the Year three times. Rick is also a member of the QHS Blue Devils Hall of Fame.
In addition to baseball, Rick reported on professional basketball and hockey and on college football, basketball and boxing. He co-authored a book with Tony LaRussa, One Last Strike, released in 2012.
Rick’s last day at the Post-Dispatch was November 30, 2022, at the age of 76.
