- More from Famously...
- Famous Arrests
- Famous Scandals
- Famous Brands
View information about Thurman Munson's death here on famously-dead.com. You can view information about Thurman Munson's death and other famous deaths. You can view by name or by cause of death. We also have included the most popular famous deaths.
Thurman Munson's Death
- Thurman Munson
- Baseball Player
- June 7, 1947
- August 2, 1979
- Plane Crash
He was the high-flying captain of the New York Yankees, the first since the legendary Lou Gehrig, who also died before his time. Thurman's quest for more time with his family led to his tragic demise while still in his prime.
Munson continued a New York Yankees' tradition of great players at catcher like Bill Dickey, Yogi Berra (both in the Baseball Hall of Fame) and Elston Howard (an American League Most Valuable Player in 1963 and the first black Yankee player).
Thurman was:
- 1970 American League Rookie of the Year
- 1976 AL Most Valuable Player
- A seven-time American League All-Star
- A three-time Gold Glove winner
A family man, he kept his wife and kids at home in Ohio, where he grew up. Because he wanted to spend more time with them during the baseball season, Munson took flying lessons and bought a Cessna Citation.
Some observers later theorized that it was more plane than he could handle with his level of pilot training. While practicing takeoffs and landings he crashed at the Akron-Canton Airport and was killed by asphyxiation. Two passengers escaped.
The Yankee organization, including his teammates and the front office, was stunned by his death and the team's performance sagged for the rest of the 1979 season.
The organization later retired his number 15, never to be worn by another Yankee.
