Universally regarded as the best groundskeeper in sports, Toma earned his nicknames of the 'Nitty-Gritty Dirt Man' and the 'Sultan of Sod' in his adopted home of Kansas City. He arrived in 1957 as head groundskeeper for the Athletics and made his name transforming Municipal Stadium's notoriously poor field into one of baseball's best. Toma later oversaw fields for the Royals and Chiefs at Municipal, Royals and Arrowhead Stadiums. His NFL work, beginning with Super Bowl I, earned him the Professional Football Hall of Fame's 2001 Pioneer Award. He joined his mentor, Emil Bossard, as the first inductees into the MLB Groundskeeper Association Hall of Fame in 2012.
Powered by
© 2001- MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
The following are trademarks or service marks of Major League Baseball entities and may be used only with permission of Major League Baseball Properties, Inc. or the relevant Major League Baseball entity: Major League, Major League Baseball, MLB, the silhouetted batter logo, World Series, National League, American League, Division Series, League Championship Series, All-Star Game, and the names, nicknames, logos, uniform designs, color combinations, and slogans designating the Major League Baseball clubs and entities, and their respective mascots, events and exhibitions.
Use of the Website signifies your agreement to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.