Thurman Munson (June 7, 1947 August 2, 1979) played his entire 11-year professional baseball career for the New York Yankees (19691979). A perennial All-Star, Munson is the only Yankee to win both the Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player awards. He is the first player in the history of baseball to be named as a College Baseball All-American (1968) and then go on to win a MLB Rookie of the Year Award (1970), MVP Award (1976), Gold Glove (73,74,75), and a World Series Title (77,78). He is also the only Catcher in MLB history with a .300+ postseason average (.357) and at least 20+ postseason RBIs (22) and 20+ postseason defensive CS (24). 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 AkronCanton 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. (AP Photo)
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