On August 2nd, 1979, Yankees catcher Thurman Munson, 32, died when the plane he was piloting crashed in Canton, Ohio. A crowd of 51,151 attended the memorial tribute at Yankee Stadium the following day (August 3rd)..

In August of 1979, I was home in Dillon, Montana, preparing to return to my sophomore year at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. I still remember when I first heard the news that Thurman Munson had died in a plane crash.

Munson was the starting catcher for Yankees from 1969 until his death in 1979. In 1970 he was the voted the American League Rookie of the Year. And in 1976 the American League MVP.

While I have always been a Yankee hater (and still am), a number of my favorite players have worn pinstripes. These include:

• Reggie Jackson (always an Oakland Athletic in my mind)
• Catfish Hunter (also, always an Oakland Athletic in my mind)
• Mickey Rivers
• Don Mattingly
• Craig Nettles
• Fred Stanley
• and Thurman Munson

Munson is not in the Hall of Fame. I have always thought that he should be. Just like I think Don Mattingly should be.

By some modern metrics, Munson could be considered one of the Top 15 or Top 20 catchers of all time.

Here are some other awards and numbers from Munson’s career that I think help his cause for the Hall of Fame:

• 3 Gold Gloves (1973, 1974, 1975)
• 7 All-Star Games
• .292 Career Batting Average (for a catcher!)

Take a look at his Baseball Reference page here and decide for yourself.