Georgia football, baseball standout Jack Roberts dead at 86

Jack Roberts, a two-sport star at Georgia in football and baseball, died recently at the age of 86.

Born James Thomas Roberts, he earned induction into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 1958 for his accolades in football, baseball, basketball and track. In the 1953 baseball season at Georgia, Roberts posted an 8-2 record and notched 87 strikeouts -- a mark that stood as a single-season best for 32 years. He was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals and played for their Triple-A Rochester affiliate, and also played for the Atlanta Crackers.

Roberts died on April 21.

In addition to his athletic career, Roberts served in the United States Air Force from 1956-58.

In 2008, Roberts had his jersey retired by Gainesville High School, the place where his athletic career began.

A native of Gainesville, Roberts was living in Peachtree Ridge when he passed. He was predeceased by his wife Mary Ann Roberts.

A memorial service will be held Friday at Fayetteville First United Methodist Church at 11 a.m.

Roberts is the second two-sport Georgia star from this time period to pass away in the past week. On Sunday, former Georgia football and basketball standout Zippy Morocco committed suicide at the age of 86.

This story was originally published April 26, 2016 at 11:26 AM with the headline "Georgia football, baseball standout Jack Roberts dead at 86."