He taught me how to use my speed. Willie Stargell, 61, a hulking fixture of the Pittsburgh Pirates teams that won World Series championships in 1971 and 1979 and a baseball Hall of Famer who demoralized pitchers with towering home runs belted during 21 seasons in the major leagues, died April 9 of a stroke at New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, N.C. Live Death Statistics Worldwide and The United States. Stargell made his MLB debut at the end of the 1962 season at the age of 22. That was Stargel Stadium No. "[5], The Willie Stargell Foundation was established to promote research and treatment for kidney disease. $5.85 shipping. The end of November. "I was like a kid on Christmas Eve who couldn't wait to open his presents," Stargell said of the mid-1970 move into Three Rivers. Clearly not in good health, Stargell wiped away tears from his eyes as he hugged several players, including catcher Jason Kendall, amid a wave of cheers that rolled across the stadium that he closed as impressively as he opened it. Stargell wore the mantle of leadership as well as he did an outfielder's glove or a first baseman's mitt as an unappreciated defensive player. Aman who was a role model and a father figure to many of his players and students. He believed you could do anything you want to do, Chapman said. Despite being overshadowed at times by more prolific home run hitters Hank Aaron and Willie Mays, and by the play of his own Hall of Fame teammate, Roberto Clemente, Stargell's sheer power was unrivaled. "We respect the fact that change has not always been good in the West End and other parts of our community, and we're trying to show that genuinely we want to be about improving the future for our city, for the people of our city and particularly for our neighbors in the West End," Berding said. Stargell began and ended the season as the Pirates' everyday left-fielder, but spent extended periods playing first base as well. Chapman, a 5-3, 120-pound running back when he started playing football at Taft, said he earned a football scholarship at Northern Illinois thanks to Stargel. "November the 19th. Upon the Expos departure in 2004, the seat was removed and sent to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. What was Willie Stargell's batting average? And in a few weeks, crews will tear it down to make room for a new Major League Soccer stadium for FC Cincinnati. The second home run Stargell hit out of the Dodger Stadium, and the shorter of the two, occurred May 8, 1973. During a drug trafficking trial back in 1985, names like Willie Stargell, Willie Mays, Dave Parker, Bill Madlock and Dale Berra were all mentioned as players who used greenies. Hall of Famer Willie Stargell, who led the Pirates to two World Series victories with his tape-measure homers, died of a stroke Monday at age 61. Stargell remains the oldest player to win an MVP award. Stargell, who was divorced from Dolores, continued to live in Wilmington, N.C., with his wife, Margaret. For his first 10 years in the majors, Stargell was content to play in Clemente's shadow, even after Stargell surpassed him in production. "You just felt for pitchers facing him. If he hadn't played his first 8 seasons at cavernous Forbes Field, then the majors' most spacious ballpark, he probably would have hit more than 600 homers. The 1979 World Series victory also made the Pirates the only franchise in baseball history to twice recover from a three-games-to-one deficit and win a World Series (previously they had done so in 1925 against the Washington Senators). But when UC got an invitation to play Virginia Tech in the Sun Bowl in Texas, it came with one condition. Trice was front and center during the fight to keep Stargel Stadium standing and keep FC Cincinnati out. Friday nights were our nights.. Stargell also threw out the ceremonial last pitch at Three Rivers Stadium before the team's move after the 2000 season. He was born on March 6, 1940. Did you know that Willie, his nickname, won the 1979 Most Valuable Player Award, the 1979 League Championship Most Valuable Player Award, and the 1979 World Series Most Valuable Player Award the only player in Major League history to have won all three MVPs during the same season? [15], After retirement, Stargell spent two years as a first base coach for the Atlanta Braves from 19861988, wearing his customary #8. I went up there the next day and sat in that seat, and everybody on field looked like puppets, that's how far it traveled. Born in Oklahoma on March 6, 1940, of African-American and Seminole Indian descent, Stargell himself listed the date as March 7, 1941. At one time, Stargell held the record for the longest home run in nearly half of the NL parks. Too easy? He was previously married to Margaret Weller, Dolores Parker and Lois Beard. What we need to do now is to make sure that FC Cincinnati adheres to all those promises.". [13] The shot came in the second inning and chased starting pitcher Jim Bunning out of the game. Rather than leave Stargel home, UCs president turned down the invitation, but the board of trustees overruled him and sent the team instead. After hitting 32 homers uring a memorable regular season, Stargell had two more during an NL playoffs sweep of Cincinnati. He was born on March 6, 1940 Facts Top Questions Where was Willie Stargell born? Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Stargell died on . Mr. Stargell, 52, whose full name is Wilver Dornel Stargell, is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. A clubhouse drug scandal and subequent 1985 federal court trial in Pittsburgh implicated more than 30 major leaguers and badly tarnished not only the Pirates' image, but baseball's as well. He made his major league debut with the Piratesthe team he would spend his entire 21-season career within 1962 and was selected to his first All-Star team in 1964. He has led the National League in home runs two times and RBIs once. Willie Stargell Signed Autographed Perez Steele Celebration Postcard. 3. The team mandated that he diet to get down to a weight of 215 pounds. His spouse is Margaret Weller (m. 1993-2001), Dee Stargell. Thats part of the legacy of Willard Stargel. [23][24][25], Wilver Willie Stargell Avenue (formerly Tinker Avenue) is a major thoroughfare in his adolescent home of Alameda, California, connecting to the former Naval Air Station Alameda, and Stargell is honored with a plaque and plaza at its intersection with Fifth Street. He grew up in Oakland, Calif., where he was spotted by Pirates scout Bob Zuk while playing on a high school team. In 1999, he ranked 81st on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players,[20] and was also nominated as a finalist for the MLB All-Century Team. "I dreamed of the big crowds, artificial turf, our new tradition and my increased home run power.". He threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the 1994 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. Willard Stargel made a name for himself at Old Woodward High School, where he was astandout football end and basketball guard and the city high hurdles champion for two years running and jumping. [4] On April 7, 2001, two days before Stargell died, a larger-than-life statue of him was unveiled at the Pirates' new stadium, PNC Park, as part of the opening-day ceremonies. I still miss him. Unlike Parker, whose popularity in Pittsburgh ended with his involvement in the drug scandal, Stargell remained one of the most popular athletes in the city's history and received thunderous ovations at any public function he attended. He was married to Margaret Weller, Dolores Parker and Lois Beard. He was active in various philanthropies, including efforts to raise money to fight sickle cell anemia. Bob Prince, the colorful longtime Pirate radio announcer, would greet a Stargell home run with the phrase "Chicken on the Hill". Kelli, also known as Wendy Rebecca Stargell is suffered from a developmental disorder and says she is unable to support herself. Stargell's last game was on October 3, 1982 at Three Rivers Stadium against the Montreal Expos. He was always around the kids and it was evident as they grew up and paid homage to him and Id just be in the company of these wonderful people from Taft who would tell me to scoot over so they could sit next to Dad. What was the cause of Willie Stargell death? Willie Stargell was 6 feet and 4 inches tall in height with a bulky body that weighs almost about 90 kg. Stargell, a beloved figure in Pittsburgh and elsewhere in baseball, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1988. He retired following the 1982 season with a .282 career batting average, 1,540 RBI and seven All-Star Game selections. Wilver Dornel Stargell was born March 6, 1940, in tiny Earlsboro, Oklahoma, the son of William and Gladys Vernell Stargell. He was then pinch run by Doug Frobel and subsequently was replaced by Richie Hebner at first base.[12]. The Pirates fell apart after Stargell retired in 1982. Stargell, 61, died from a stroke at 12:23 a.m. this morning at New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, N.C. Following a Pirate sweep of the Friday-night double-header, Stargell belted a grand slam in the bottom of the first inning of the season's penultimate game to give the Pirates an early 41 lead, although the Pirates relinquished that lead later in the game and fell two runs short after a four-run rally in the bottom of the ninth inning,[10] thus eliminating themselves from contention for the pennant. Learn How rich is He in this year and how He spends money? In that game, Joe Torre hit two homers in a losing cause In 1972, against the Dodgers in Los Angeles, Stargell launched a home run off Claude Osteen that was . The Friday night lights at Taft High School are almost out. I've been here - this is my 11th here, said Taft football coach Jeff Cargile. How many home runs did Willie Stargell hit? .component--type-recirculation .item:nth-child(5) { Theearly '60s were the glory days ofTaft football. After hitting 32 homers during a memorable regular season, he had two more during an NL playoff sweep of Cincinnati. Upcoming Birthday Currently, Willie Stargell is 82 years, 11 months and 17 days old. Stargell played three more seasons on arthritis-ravaged knees, the last at the request of former MVP teammate Dave Parker, but had only 14 more homers and 64 more RBIs. Monica Williams is counting on that, too. ", Stargell played until 1982, but he never appeared in more than 74 games after 1979. The Willie Stargell Foundation transitioned to raising money for treatment of and research into kidney disease. To this day, West Enders debate whether its Stargel with a soft G or Stargel with a hard G. Jason said his family uses a hard G, but they dont object to the other sound. With Stargell batting cleanup for most of his 20-year career, the Pirates won World Series championships and NL pennants in 1971 and 1979 and six NL East titles from 1970-79. While in Plainview, Texas, he was accosted at gunpoint by a man who threatened his life if he played in that night's game. . On average, a report based on the research of 2019 says that the average income of an MLB player is $3.4 million per year. Stargell led the Pirates to World Series championships in 1971 and 1979, sharing the National League Most Valuable Player Award with Keith Hernandez of the Cardinals in '79 at the age of 39. He remains the oldest player to win an MVP award. "It's emotional. One of our talks stands out. The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of Willie Stargell, byname of Wilver Dornel Stargell, also called Pops, (born March 6, 1940, Earlsboro, Okla., U.S.died April 9, 2001, Wilmington, N.C.), American professional baseball player who led the Pittsburgh Pirates to World Series championships in 1971 and 1979. To get those stars from your leade and captain, that was special.". Steelers' legend Franco Harris died Wednesday, just two days before the 50 th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception and just three days before his number 32 is retired by the Steelers during a game at Acrisure Stadium against the Las Vegas Raiders.. Pirates' legend Willie Stargell died just two days after his statue was unveiled outside PNC Park. [3], Stargell played for farm teams in New Mexico, North Dakota, Iowa, Texas, North Carolina, and Ohio. But before Willie was born, his dad skipped town. In 1979, it was Stargell's turn to transform the World Series into a one-man act for an aging star. . To see them for sale and auction on eBay, click the title of each. He was 61. Despite developing a kidney disorder that required frequent dialysis, Stargell later worked in the Braves' minor league department for 10 years until returning to the Pirates yet again in 1997 as an aide to general manager Cam Bonifay. Advertise with us This is a question our experts keep getting from time to time. 11 Copy quote. Stargell reluctantly became the Pirates' leader upon Clemente's death in a Dec. 31, 1972, plane crash, saying, "There's a time in a man's life when he has to decide if he's going to be a man.". I guess it was the best part of my younger life - good teachers, good coaches and,most of all, good students. Willie Stargell, May 8, 1973. Stargell had more than 40 of each; he was the first player to chalk up this 40-40 accomplishment since Hank Greenberg in 1940; other players have done so since (notably Albert Belle, the only 50-50 player). She leases the space and saidshe was offered $20,000 to move. He had problems with his kidneys for several years before his death. One of the loudest came during the Pirates' final game at Three Rivers on Oct. 1, 2000, several days after it was announced a statue of him would be erected at PNC Park. His 475 career home runs, 1,540. They supported me when I was here, so I owe it to them to support them, said Ward, an All-American at Michigan and three-year pro. Stargell preferred H&B (endorsement contract) bats during his career and signed with the company before making his MLB debut in 1962, but the Pittsburgh powerhouse occasionally used Adirondack (block letter) bats as well. For a decade, BAF, renamed the Willie Stargell Foundation, raised research money and public awareness about the disease. Inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988. Wilver Dornell Stargell (March 6, 1940 - April 9, 2001), nicknamed "Pops" later in his career, was an American professional baseball left fielder and first baseman who spent all of his 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) ( 1962 - 1982) with the Pittsburgh Pirates. A lot of success.". Trying to hit Sandy Koufax was like trying to drink coffee with a fork. "In 1979 in Montreal, he hit a ball so far there they painted the seat gold. While standing in the batter's box, he would windmill his bat until the pitcher started his windup. "Those were precious. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. The seat where the ball landed (the home run was measured at 535 feet (163m)) was replaced with a yellow seat, while the other seats in the upper deck are red. The Pittsburgh drug trials of 1985 were the catalyst for a Major League Baseball-related cocaine scandal. He became the third player, after Lou Boudreau in 1946 and Joe Adcock in 1954, to collect five extra-base hits in one game. Died: April 9, 2001 . display: none; Dad had such an impact, not just as a coach or an educator, but he was involved in their lives, Jason said. Willie Stargell hit 475 home runs during his career. WATCH StargelStadium dedication in 2004. Willie Stargell was born on March 6, 1940 in Earlsboro, Oklahoma, USA as Wilver Dornal Stargell. 2 bids. Willie Stargell I found myself in a race with Mother Nature to play as much baseball as I could before she forced me to stop. He would always say, Son, dont appear to be, but be. Theres a lot of people that carry themselves in a certain way, but then behind closed doors theyre not, andhe was really intent on me trying to be the person that you see all the time, Jason said. [8] He finished out the decade with a strong performance in 1969 (.307, 29 HR, 92 RBI), and finished 21st in MVP voting. Hall of Fame slugger Willie Stargell, who led the Pirates to two World Series victories with his tape-measure home runs, died of a stroke yesterday at age 61. Omissions? That's what $20,000 does, literally.". The Pirates fell apart after Stargell retired in 1982. His body was buried at the Oleander Memorial Gardens in Wilmington, North Carolina. What has changed is we lost, Trice said. We all stood together, Ward said. Willie Stargell decided to award players with a gold star any time they had a good game or made a good play. Willie Stargel's net worth and earnings are still under review. April 9, 2020 5 AM PT Willie Stargell, who led the Pittsburgh Pirates to two World Series championships with his tape-measure home runs and patriarchal leadership, died on this date in 2001. 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