Richard [Dick] Doepker was born the youngest of 12 on a farm near Annaheim. He graduated from high school at St. Peters College in Muenster and went to Saskatoon to work and pitch for the Saskatoon Moores.
While with the Moores, Doepker was scouted and recruited by Roy Taylor of the College of Sequoias in Visalia, Calif. where he was their top pitcher for four years.
After the College of Sequoias Doepker played with Fresno State and during the summers he played for Moose Jaw and Saskatoon in the Western Canada Baseball League.
After graduating from Fresno State he played five years of professional baseball in the Pittsburgh Pirates' organization.
Highlights from his baseball career would be helping the Moores win the Saskatchewan Provincial Junior Baseball Championship in 1955. Also, helping the College of Sequoias win the California State Baseball Championship and Fresno State get to its first College World Series in Omaha in 1959.
Doepker's professional baseball career included one year pitching for Reno of the Class A California League where he was 11-1 with a league leading earned-runs-average.
Other seasons included pitching in the Three I League and Sophomore League. His career ended in the Double A Southern League.
That season things were going so well with a 7-2 record and 3.00 ERA that he was told if that continued he would be invited to the Pirates' spring training.
Successive elbow injuries ended Doepker's baseball career, but he continued umping high school and college baseball for many years.
He ended his teaching career in Visalia as a high school principal for 17 years. For his retirement, the school community named the baseball field after him.
Dick continues to make his home in Visalia, Calif.
Doepker will be inducted into the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame Aug. 18.
