Long before there was Derek Jeter or Don Mattingly, there was Thurman Munson. The face of the New York Yankees, their captain, and their most popular player. He was gruff and rough, dependable and tough. He led by example and through his words. And 32 years ago today he was taken from his family and his fans.
On this day, August 2, every year I don’t have to think hard to remember that horrible day or how much Munson meant to the team, to the fans, to the city.
Munson could be short and snarky with the press, but he was revered by his teammates, and loved his family. He had it tough growing up with a father who didn’t get him and was jealous of his son’s accomplishments. He and his siblings didn’t always get along either. But he met his future wife Diane and became a part of her extended family.
He became a star, a great catcher to join the Yankees legacy of stand out backtstops- Dickey, Berra, Howard. He came up and joined his good friend Bobby Murcer, Roy White, and Mel Stottelmyre as one of the few stars on a team that had fallen from the greatest heights to the bottom of the American League.
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