Ward "Grump" Miller - favorite son of Dixon Illinois
 

Ward Miller was born in Mount Carroll IL in 1884 and played in the majors from 1909 to 1917 for the Pirates, Reds, Cubs, St. Louis Terriers (Federal League) and the St. Louis Browns. As a 24 year old rookie with Pittsburgh he became ill with tuberculosis and manager Fred Clarke traded him to Cincinnati at the end of May ending his shot at playing with the Pirates World Series Championship team. Miller had a mediocre baseball career but things improved for him big time after returning back to Dixon IL where he became the sheriff and treasurer of Lee County, and chief of police of Dixon State School. Ward worked with youth baseball teams whenever he could and a beautiful monument dedicated in 2011 stands in front of the Lee County Courthouse where his legacy has stood the test of time for over 100 years.

#5 in the 1914 and 15 Cracker Jack set

Show yours!

I would have to say that long time Cub Stan Hack is the best ball player to come out of Dixon, IL.

Well, and then there is this ....
 

Although Reagan's pre-political background as a movie actor is widely known, not many people realize that his first entertainment career was in radio, most notably as the reenactment voice of the Chicago Cubs on Iowa's WHO during the early-to-mid 1930s.