Major League Baseball Player. He earned a place in the record books as he hurled two no-hit games during 1952. For seventeen seasons (1941 to 1943 and 1945 to 1958), he was a pitcher with the Detroit Tigers, St. Louis Browns, Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Athletics and New York Yankees. Born Virgil Oliver Trucks, he was signed by Detroit as an amateur free agent in 1938 and marked his Major League debut with the Tigers on September 27th, 1941. The following two years (1942 and 1943), he produced double-digit wins and was a component of a highly-formidable starting rotation for which also included Hall of Fame pitcher Hal Newhouser and Paul "Dizzy" Trout. Following service with the United States Navy during World War II in 1945, he returned in time to contribute to the Tigers' capturing of the World Championship. In two games, 13 innings pitched, he recorded 7 strikeouts and a victory during the 1945 World Series. In 1949, Trucks 19 wins along with his league-tying 6 shutouts (with Boston's Ellis Kinder) and his league-leading 153 strikeouts earned him All-Star honors that year. In 1952, he tossed no-hit games against the Washington Senators on May 15th and against the New York Yankees on August 25th and in 1953, he reached the 20 win mark. In 1954 while with the White Sox, he earned All-Star status a second time as he recorded 5 shutouts (tied for first place with Cleveland's Mike Garcia) and 19 wins. He was acquired by the Yankees in mid-season 1958 and pitched in 25 games during their run at the world championship that year. In 517 regular season games, he compiled a 177 win, 135 loss record with a 3.39 lifetime ERA in 2,682 innings pitched. After retiring as a player, he remained in the sport to serve as a Minor League coach and scout. In 1963, he returned to the Major League level to serve as a coach with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1974. Trucks co-authored his autobiography "Throwing Heat: The Life and Times of Virgil "Fire" Trucks. In his later years, Trucks enjoyed corresponding with fans and remained in good health until a fall during the summer of 2012 led to declining health.