Let's All Remember Thurman Munson Today...
 

I do this virtually every year and today I do it again.

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Thirty eight years ago today we New Yorkers, we baseball fans, we human beings lost the Captain way too soon. Sure, it was said #15 was a curmudgeon and a bit of a grouch to people around him, but he was also a freakin' skilled and tough-as-nails leader who led the Yanks (and the ridiculous circus the Bronx Bombers had become) to three straight World Series appearances and two championships. As long as I live, I will never ever forget hearing the heartbreaking news on that hot August day. His loss still saddens me to my very core. I'm sure many others share these same feelings.

Continue to rest in peace, Thurm.

Even as a Phillies fan, I always liked him. I remember the news like yesterday. I was in a pizza shop picking up a pizza for my mom and dad. I was stunned. A great catcher and leader.

I was on a bus with a summer league baseball team I coached when one of the boys mentioned that Thurman Munson had been killed in a plane crash. It was quite a shock, he seemed invincible.

O's fan here. I have nothing but respect for Thurman. My kinda player. Blue collar, tough as nails. RIP Thurman. It was a pleasure to watch you play.

Duane

I will never forget that day. I was with 4 high school friends camping up in cape cod 2 weeks before leaving to go to college. Heard it on the radio while we were playing quarters around 8pm. We were all Yankee fans and were drunk off our a$$. Everyone cried. We drank to Thurm the rest of the night, got thrown out of the campground and had to sleep on the side of the road because it was odd even gasoline days and we had to wait another day before we could buy gas to drive back to Connecticut.

Way too young!

Thurman Lee Munson (June 7, 1947 – August 2, 1979) was an American Major League Baseball catcher. He played his entire 11-year professional baseball career for the New York Yankees (1969–1979). A perennial All-Star, Munson is the only Yankee to win both the Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player awards.
Born in Akron, Ohio, Munson was selected as the fourth pick of the 1968 Major League Baseball draft. Munson hit over .300 in his two seasons in the Minor Leagues, establishing himself as a top prospect. He became the New York Yankees' starting catcher late in the 1969 season. Munson played his first complete season in 1970, and was voted A.L. Rookie of the Year after hitting .302.
Considered the "heart and soul" of the Yankees, Munson was named the first team captain since Lou Gehrig. He led the Yankees to three consecutive World Series appearances from 1976 to 1978, and consecutive titles in 1977 and 1978.
In 1979, Munson died at the age of 32 while practicing landing his Cessna Citation at Akron–Canton Airport. Munson suffered a broken neck as result of the crash, and his cause of death was asphyxiation. His two companions escaped the burning aircraft.

The interplay between Munson and Jackson was fascinating for those couple of years.

The image that came back to my mind as I read this thread was a touching picture I cut out from The Sporting News. It was the early 70s, and Thurman was on the field at Yankee Stadium holding his beautiful little baby girl in his catcher's mitt. She was lying peacefully asleep in her daddy's hand. I can't write anymore.....

---Brian Powell

I was eleven, watching the evening news with my Dad. Still remember the image of his plane on the television. Couldn't believe it...