Major League Baseball Player. A multi-sport star in high school, he attended Kent State University on a baseball scholarship and was an All-American at catcher. In the 1968 June draft, he was the Number 1 pick, 4th overall by the New York Yankees. After fewer than 100 minor league games, Thurman Munson became the Yankees' starting catcher in 1970. He immediately established his ability to handle veteran pitchers but had a terrible start as a rookie. Manager Ralph Houk stuck with him, telling him that he could win more games with his catching than he ever could with his bat. Houk's faith in the young catcher was repaid when Munson had an outstanding defensive season and wound up hitting .302, capturing AL Rookie of the Year honors. Munson's power was at first hindered by Yankee Stadium's gigantic left-field dimensions. He did hit for average and usually batted second in his early years. An outstanding fielder with the quickest release in baseball in throwing out base stealers, he was fearless behind the plate. During the Yankees' rebuilding years, Thurman and Bobby Murcer were the stars around whom the team was constructed, and they were close. When Murcer was traded in 1975 for Bobby Bonds, Thurman became the true star of the team. During the Yankees' mini-dynasty of 1976-78, Munson was at his peak. The Yankees went from a mediocre team to back-to-back world champions, and Munson rivaled Johnny Bench as the best catcher in baseball. On and off the field, he was the leader of the team. On the field, he piled up his career-best offensive statistics (even a surprising 14 stolen bases in 1976). He hit over .300 with 100 or more RBIs three years in a row (1975-77), won the MVP Award in 1976, and hit .529 in the 1976 WS and .320 in the 1977 and 1978 WS. He was also a six-time all-star. Catfish Hunter credited Thurman for his late-season come-back during the Yankees' 1978 pennant run. His most famous home run came in the 1978 ALCS off Kansas City Pitcher Doug Bird. With New York trailing the Royals 5-4 in the 8th inning, Munson hit a 430-foot home run into the Yankees' bullpen that gave the Bombers a 6-5 win. On August 2, 1979, Thurman was practicing touch-and-go landings at the Akron-Canton Airport with his newly purchased Cessna Citation. The twin-engine jet fell 1000 feet short of the runway during an attempted landing and burst into flames. Thurman was killed in the accident while two others were injured. He was only 32 years old. The Yankees honored Munlson by retiring his uniform Number 15 and placing a memorial plaque on the centerfield wall at Yankee Stadium in 1980. During his ten-year career, Thurman Munson established himself as one of the premier catchers in baseball. A bronze re-creation of Thurman's locker, spikes, glove, and jersey has been preserved in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. In 1988, the Sporting News selected Thurman Munson as its all-time starting American League catcher for the decade of the 1970s.