Who was Thurman Munson? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Also Known As: Thurman Lee Munson

Died At Age: 32

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Diana Dominick (m. 1968)

father: Darrell Vernon Munson

mother: Ruth Myrna Smylie

children: Kelly Munson, Michael Munson, Tracy Munson

Born Country: United States

Baseball Players Film & Theater Personalities

Height: 5'11" (180 cm), 5'11" Males

Died on: August 2, 1979

place of death: Green, Ohio, United States

U.S. State: Ohio

Cause of Death: Asphyxiation

: Broken Neck Due To Aircraft Crash

City: Akron, Ohio

More Facts

education: Kent State University

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1

What position did Thurman Munson play in baseball?

Thurman Munson played as a catcher in baseball.
2

How many World Series did Thurman Munson win with the New York Yankees?

Thurman Munson won two World Series championships with the New York Yankees in 1977 and 1978.
3

What was Thurman Munson's batting average during his career?

Thurman Munson had a career batting average of .292 in Major League Baseball.
4

What was the cause of Thurman Munson's tragic death?

Thurman Munson died in a plane crash on August 2, 1979, while practicing takeoffs and landings in his private plane.
5

Was Thurman Munson inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame?

Thurman Munson has not been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

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Childhood & Early Life

Thurman Munson was born on June 7, 1947, in Akron, Ohio, to Ruth Myrna Smylie, a homemaker, and Darrell Vernon Munson, a World War II veteran cum truck driver. He had three older siblings.

At the age of eight, he moved to Canton with his family where his elder brother Duane taught him baseball.

Munson studied at Lehman High School where he played guard in basketball, halfback in football, and shortstop in his baseball team. In his senior year, he switched to catcher in baseball. He later enrolled at Kent State University on a scholarship

In the summer of 1967, he joined the Cape Cod Baseball League and played for the Chatham A's.

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Career

Thurman Munson signed with the Yankees in the 1968 Major League Baseball draft and made his first appearance in Yankee Stadium in August in an exhibition match, playing for the Binghamton Triplets. A year later, he batted .363 for the Syracuse Chiefs, eventually earning a promotion to the New York Yankees.

On August 8, 1969, he made his major league debut, in a match against the Oakland Athletics. During the off season, he batted .302 with 7 home runs and 57 RBI which ultimately paved his way for the League Rookie of the Year award in 1970.

Munson made his way to the All-Star team for the first time in 1971. Two years later, he made his second All-Star team and garnered his first ever Gold Glove Award, hitting a career high twenty home runs.

He batted a career high .318, a third in the league, in 1975. For the 1976 season, he became the first Yankees team captain since the retirement of Lou Gehrig in 1939. During the season, the talented player batted .302 with 17 home runs and 105 RBI.

He batted .529 with two runs and two RBI in the World Series against the Cincinnati Reds and .435 with three runs and three RBI in the American League Championship Series during the 1975-76 season.

In 1977, Munson batted .308 with 100 RBI, becoming the first catcher to bat .300 or better with 100 or more RBI in three consecutive seasons.

He then went on to play against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series and eventually helped his team emerge victorious by batting .320 with a home run and three RBI.

In 1978, his team faced Kansas City Royals faced in the ALCS. During the match, he hit the longest home run of his career, ultimately bringing his team a 6–5 win. Munson went on to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series in 6 games, winning the final 4.

He made his last MLB appearance for the New York Yankees on August 1, 1979.

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Awards

During the World Series championships of 1977 and 1978, Thurman Munson became only the second catcher in baseball history to win a Gold Glove Award, an MVP Award, Rookie of the Year Award, and a World Series title in his career.

Family & Personal Life

From 1968 until his death, Thurman Munson was married to Diana Dominick. They had three children, Tracy, Michael, and Kelly.

On August 2, 1979, he was practicing takeoffs and landings with his Cessna Citation aircraft at Akron–Canton Airport when the plane, also carrying two of his companions, crashed. While his two companions survived the crash, he suffered a broken neck and died of asphyxiation.

Yankee owner George Steinbrenner retired his number ‘15’ jersey upon his death. In September 1980, a plaque was placed in Monument Park in his memory.

In 2000, Munson was inducted into the inaugural class of the Cape Cod Baseball League Hall of Fame.

Facts About Thurman Munson

Thurman Munson was known for his unconventional superstitions, such as always putting his left sock and left shoe on first before games.

Munson had a unique way of preparing for games by listening to country music in the clubhouse to help him relax and focus.

Despite being a tough and gritty player on the field, off the field Munson had a soft spot for animals and was known to be a devoted pet owner.

Munson was an avid outdoorsman and enjoyed hunting and fishing in his free time, showcasing a different side to his personality outside of baseball.

Munson had a dry sense of humor and was known for his witty one-liners that would often catch his teammates off guard and bring levity to the clubhouse.

Thurman Munson Biography

You wanted to know

What position did Thurman Munson play in baseball?

How many World Series did Thurman Munson win with the New York Yankees?

What was Thurman Munson's batting average during his career?

What was the cause of Thurman Munson's tragic death?

Was Thurman Munson inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame?