Jan. 21, 1963 - Maury Wills romped off with another major trophy today — the Hickok Professional Athlete of the Year Belt. The $10,000 gold-buckled, jeweled belt was presented to the Los Angeles Dodgers’ mercury-footed shortstop at the Rochester Press Radio Club’s annual charity dinner. Wills, a 5-foot-7-inch, 157-pound bundle of lightning, stole a record 104 bases last year. He topped Arnold Palmer, the 1962 Masters and British Open golf champion and 1960 pro athlete of the year, by 51 points. Jim Taylor, the jarring Green Bay fullback and player of the year in the NFL, came in third. Roger Maris, who hit a record 61 homers for the Yankees and won the award last year, did not receive a single vote this time.
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