Me and millions of others remember exactly where they were in 1979 when they heard that Thurman Munson was killed tragically in a plane crash at the age of 32. It was a very sad day for all of baseball and heartbreaking to Yankee fans who had lost their Captain, their heart and soul. A great player who led the Yankees to 3 straight World Series appearances and winning 2 in '77 & '78. Munson played with a fire that is rare in a player and his style clicked with fans. He was a lunch bucket type of player from Canton Ohio, whose uniform was always dirty, played through injuries and the only time he'd smile on the field is after the Yankees had safely secured a win.
His fight during a collision with his rival, Boston catcher Carlton Fisk is the stuff of legend. In '76, Owner George Steinbrenner named the catcher to be the first captain of the New York Yankees in 37 years succeeding the late, great Lou Gehrig. Munson was perhaps the best clutch hitter of his time leading the '70's Yankees from being an also ran to champion in a short time. Those Yankee teams were something else, a collection of rogues starting from "The Boss" George Steinbrenner, Manager Billy Martin, controversial power hitting outfielder Reggie Jackson whom Munson feuded then befriended, flaky Mickey Rivers, tough guys Lou Piniella and Graig Nettles to quiet superstars like Catfish Hunter and Ron Guidry. They were nicknamed the Bronx Zoo but it was their captain Munson that held the ship together and led them to victory. Thurman Munson a beloved Yankee, team captain, champion. His locker at the old Yankee Stadium remained empty with his number 15 jersey hanging there since that day in August of '79 and that locker was moved to the new Yankee Stadium paying tribute to Munson.
Hopefully the veterans committee of the Baseball Hall of Fame will rightfully place him in Cooperstown. He deserves to be in the Hall of Fame much more so than the recent batch of statistical compilers who've recently entered the HOF. Here's a 3 segment video biography of the Yankee great.
Some of Thurman Munson's accomplishments as a player:
*3 consecutive seasons batting .300 or better with 100 or more RBI each year. He was the first catcher to accomplish the feat in three consecutive years since Yankee Hall of Famer Bill Dickey's four straight seasons from 1936-1939, matched only by Mike Piazza since (1996–1998).
*Munson had a career .357 batting average in the post-season with three home runs, 22 RBIs and nineteen runs scored.
*Munson's batting average in the World Series was .373.
*1976 AL MVP
*7 Time All-Star (1971, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978)
*3 Time Gold Glove Award winner (1973, 1974, 1975)
*New York Yankees' Team Captain 1976-'79
*1970 AL Rookie of the Year
*Lifetime Batting Average .292
*Number 15 Retired by the New York Yankees
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