Gilbert Ray Hodges was born on April 4, 1924, in Princeton, Indiana, the son of Charles P. Hodges, a coal miner, and his wife Irene 
(Horstmeyer). He had two siblings, Robert and Marjorie. 
     Hodges was a star four-sport athlete at Petersburg HS, earning a combined seven varsity letters in football, baseball, basketball and track. He declined a 1941 contract offer from the Detroit Tigers, instead attending Saint Joseph’s College in Rensselaer, Indiana, with the hope of eventually becoming a collegiate coach. Hodges spent two years at St Joseph’s, competing in baseball and basketball, as well as a brief stint on the football team. He dropped out after his sophomore year and signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers. 
     At the age of 19, Hodges was called up by the Dodgers and made his debut against the Cincinnati Reds, in the last game of the 1943 season. Eleven days later, he enlisted in the Marines for service in World War II, serving 29 months in the Pacific, where he earned a bronze star and was discharged in 1946. Then he reported to the Dodgers’ spring training as a catcher rather than his preview position in the outfield, making the team. 
     During the winter term of 1947, Hodges was granted permission from the Dodgers to attend Oakland City College using the GI Bill, where he competed as a member of the Mighty Oaks basketball team. In the 1947 baseball season, he appeared in 28 games, hitting just .156, but struggled to find playing time behind the plate. 
     He again enrolled at Oakland City College for the winter and spring terms in 1948, playing a key role in the success of the OCC basketball team as the team captain. 
     With future Hall of Fame catcher Roy Campanella on the horizon, and Hodges already playing behind starter Bruce Edwards, Dodgers manager Leo Durocher moved the athletic Hodges to first base. He started 96 games during the 1948 season at his new position, compared to 38 as catcher that year.
     By 1949, Hodges was entrenched as the starting first baseman for the Dodgers after hitting 23 home runs and driving in 115 runs en route to the first of eight All-Star Game selections. Defensively, Hodges’ huge hands made his transition to first base appear seamless.
     From 1949-57, Hodges averaged 32 home runs and 108 RBI per season. During those seasons, the Dodgers won five National League pennants and the 1955 World Series title. His peak as a power hitter came on Aug. 31, 1950, when Hodges became the second modern-era National League player to hit four home runs in one game.
     Hodges moved with the Dodgers to Los Angeles in 1958, and in 1959 he helped LA win its first National League pennant. Hodges hit .391 in the World Series against the White Sox, leading the Dodgers to their second Fall Classic title in five years.
     Hodges wound down his playing career with the Dodgers in 1960-61 and the Mets from 1962-63. In 1963, the Senators hired Hodges as their manager, and he stayed with Washington through the 1967 season.
     The next year, Hodges took over the Mets, who had never won more than 66 games in a season. By 1969, the Miracle Mets were World Champions. He remained the manager of the Mets through the 1971 season, finishing with a record as a 
manager of 660-753 in nine seasons, including 100 regular season wins and the World Series title with the 1969 Mets.
     As a player, Hodges finished with 370 homers, 1,274 RBI and a .273 batting 
average. He retired with the third-most home runs of any right-handed hitter, trailing only Jimmie Foxx and Willie Mays. He finished in the top 20 of the NL Most Valuable Player voting eight times and won three Gold Glove Awards at first base, despite the fact that the award was not created until 1957.
     Hodges and his wife, Joan (Lombardi), a native of Brooklyn, New York, had four children, Gil Jr., Irene, Cynthia, and Barbara. He died of a heart attack on April 2, 1972, as he left a Florida golf course two days short of his 48th birthday.