Burt Hooton was a professional baseball player who played as a pitcher for several teams during his career. He was born on February 7, 1950, in Greenville, Texas, and attended the University of Texas at Austin, where he played college baseball.
Hooton began his professional career in 1971 when he was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the first round of the MLB draft. He made his debut for the Cubs on September 15, 1971, and played for them until 1975. During his time with the Cubs, Hooton established himself as a reliable starting pitcher, and in 1972, he was named the National League Rookie of the Year.
In 1976, Hooton was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he played for the next nine seasons. He was a key member of the Dodgers' pitching staff during their successful run in the late 1970s and early 1980s, which included four National League pennants and a World Series championship in 1981. Hooton was particularly effective in the postseason, where he had a career record of 6-3 with a 2.95 ERA.
Hooton's best season with the Dodgers came in 1978 when he went 19-10 with a 2.71 ERA and was named an All-Star. He also pitched a no-hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies on April 16, 1972, in just his fourth career start.
In 1985, Hooton signed with the Texas Rangers, where he played his final season before retiring. Over the course of his career, Hooton had a record of 151-136 with a 3.38 ERA and 1,491 strikeouts. He was known for his control and ability to induce ground balls, and he finished his career with a career walk rate of just 2.6 per nine innings.
After retiring from baseball, Hooton became a pitching coach and worked for several teams, including the Houston Astros, Chicago Cubs, and Texas Rangers. He also founded the Taylor Hooton Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating young athletes about the dangers of performance-enhancing drugs.
In recognition of his contributions to baseball, Hooton was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 2005. He remains a respected figure in the baseball community and is remembered as one of the game's most reliable and effective pitchers of his era.
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