Thurman Munson

Baseball Player

• Born: June 7, 1947
• Birthplace: Akron, Ohio
• Died: August 2, 1979
• Place of death: Canton, Ohio

Sport: Baseball

Early Life

Thurman Lee Munson was born June 7, 1947, in Akron, Ohio, the youngest of four children. His father’s long-distance truck-driving job provided shelter, food, and clothing but not much else. The family moved to Canton, where the yard became a sports venue for Thurman and his brother. Thurman met his future wife, a tomboy named Diane Dominick who played catch with the boys, when she was ten. Thurman played a variety of sports growing up.

The Road to Excellence

Thurman became a three-sport athlete and senior captain at Lehman High School. In football, he played halfback and linebacker. He was a 5 foot 11 inch basketball guard and had been a shortstop for his Little League and Pony League baseball teams. In high school, however, the coach asked him to catch because the team had a hard-throwing pitcher no one could handle.

In basketball, Thurman averaged 20 points per game his senior year, while defending the opponent’s best player. He earned all-county honors. Because of his limited height and increased weight, Thurman received no scholarship offers. In football, however, eighty colleges expressed interest in the all-city and all-county performer. In baseball, Thurman earned four letters and finished his senior season by batting .581, earning all-state honors. Thurman was confident that baseball was his career but still thought shortstop was his position. Thurman’s coach persuaded him that his future was behind the plate. He also persuaded the coach of nearby Kent State University, one of only three colleges offering baseball scholarships to Thurman, that Thurman would be a great catcher.

Because of rain, Thurman’s freshman season at Kent State was limited to three games. Thurman started at catcher and hit .416. During his Kent State years, the team never won a league title. However, as a senior, Thurman hit .413 and was named all-American catcher.

The Emerging Champion

Chosen by the New York Yankees as the top pick in the 1968 draft, Thurman played for the AA Binghamton Triplets. His .301 average led the Eastern League. The next year, he moved to AAA Syracuse and had a four-month army reserve assignment. He made his major-league debut August 8, 1969, collecting 2 hits and 2 RBI. He became the Yankees’ starting catcher the following spring, after only ninety-nine minor-league games. He finished the season with the highest average on the team, .302. He caught 40 of 69 runners attempting to steal and easily won the 1970 American League (AL) rookie of the year honors.

The Yankees’ domination of the American League—winning fifteen pennants from 1947 through 1964—had ended. The team had revolving doors for its players and managers. The turbulent era of George Steinbrenner’s ownership era began in 1973. Thurman instantly filled the leadership void. In his second season, he was selected to the 1971 all-star game, an honor he received seven times in his nine full seasons. Despite an ever-changing pitching rotation, Thurman was known as an excellent handler of the staff and the best defensive catcher in the decade. He won three consecutive Gold Glove Awards for his skills behind the plate.

Thurman’s sarcastic sense of humor was viewed by New York journalists as grumpiness. Playing despite nagging injuries, Thurman was a role model to players and fans alike. He once stayed an extra two hours signing autographs in Pennsylvania for young players. He used his bat and arm to lead the Yankees out of the team’s dismal drought.

Continuing the Story

Thurman’s leadership was recognized when he was appointed captain of the 1976 Yankees, a position no one had held since Lou Gehrig’s death. Steinbrenner realized Thurman’s .318 batting average, 102 RBI, and third Gold Glove Award in 1975 needed recognition. Despite a broken finger from spring training, Thurman opened the season in the new stadium. He was the first Yankee to hit a home run in the renovated ballpark. He led the team to the pennant, but not a World Series crown, despite tying a record with 6 consecutive series hits. He was also voted the league’s most valuable player. Thurman asked about a trade to the Cleveland Indians, so he could be closer to his wife and three children in Canton.

In 1977, the captain had a major task when Steinbrenner signed the controversial Reggie Jackson. Manager Billy Martin and Jackson had confrontations in the dugout, some on national television. Despite chaos and lineup changes, the Yankees were able to win the pennant and the World Series. Thurman and other players were often at odds with Jackson, who came through with “clutch” hits in the series. Thurman dubbed Jackson “Mr. October,” for his timely hitting prowess.

With a new house and growing business interests in Canton, Thurman longed to play closer to home. Steinbrenner offered Thurman a lucrative contract to keep him a Yankee through the 1981 season. One solution for Thurman was to get his pilot’s license and a plane so he could fly home frequently. In May, 1978, he was honored as baseball’s father of the year. Later in the year, the Yankees achieved three AL Championships in a row and won back-to-back World Series titles.

Thurman flew his plane to Florida for spring training in 1979. To speed up flights home, he bought a Cessna Citation jet for $1.4 million and registered it as 15NY, matching his uniform number. As the season progressed, injuries and subpar performances were affecting the Yankees’ play. On August 2, 1979, Thurman was flying home when he encountered problems. He asked two experienced pilots to help him figure out what was wrong with his plane. During touch-and-go landings, the plane crashed. The crash, attributed to a power failure, killed the Yankees’ captain.

Summary

Thurman Munson finished his career with a .292 average, but his leadership on and off the field better epitomized his career. His “clutch” hitting, defensive skills, and strong arm helped return the Yankees to AL dominance. Had he lived and continued to play, he might have been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Bibliography

Devine, Christopher. Thurman Munson: A Baseball Biography. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 2001.

Libby, Bill. Thurman Munson: Pressure Player. New York: Putnam, 1978.

Munson, Thurman. Thurman Munson: An Autobiography with Martin Appel. New York: Coward, McCann & Geoghegan, 1978.