| Mike Shannon | |
|---|---|
 Shannon in 1983 | |
| Third baseman /Right fielder | |
| Born:(1939-07-15)July 15, 1939 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | |
| Died: April 29, 2023(2023-04-29) (aged 83) Marion, Illinois, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 11, 1962, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| August 12, 1970, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .255 |
| Home runs | 68 |
| Runs batted in | 367 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Thomas Michael Shannon (July 15, 1939 – April 29, 2023) was an American professionalbaseballthird baseman andright fielder. He played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) for theSt. Louis Cardinals from 1962 to 1970, and then worked as a Cardinals radio broadcaster from 1972 to 2021.
Shannon was raised inSt. Louis, Missouri, and was an integral part of some of the Cards' most successful seasons. He was a part of the1964 World Series and1967 World Series champions.
Shannon was the proprietor of Mike Shannon's Steaks and Seafood restaurant in downtown St. Louis until it closed on January 30, 2016.[1] Shannon continued to operate two Mike Shannon's Grill locations, inEdwardsville, Illinois, that closed in 2022, and atSt. Louis Lambert International Airport, which is run by his grandson, Justin VanMatre.[2]
Shannon was born on July 15, 1939,[3] and raised in south St. Louis, the second-oldest of six children of Thomas A. Shannon and Elizabeth W. Richason Shannon.[4] Shannon's father was a St. Louis police officer and after getting his law degree, worked in the prosecuting attorney's office before becoming the Prosecuting Attorney for the City of St. Louis in the early 1970s.[5]
Shannon attended grade school at Epiphany of Our Lord Catholic School and graduated fromChristian Brothers College High School in 1957.[6] He was the Missouri High School Player of the Year in both football and basketball his senior year and remains the only athlete to win both awards in the same year.[7]
Shannon attended theUniversity of Missouri and playedcollege baseball for theMissouri Tigers before leaving in 1958 to begin his professional baseball career after signing withBing Devine, general manager of the St. Louis Cardinals. Shannon, a quarterback, believed himself to be a better football player, and has said that if football players had been paid better during his era, he probably would have stayed at Missouri and sought a professional football career. His former coachFrank Broyles said that had he stayed in school, Shannon might have won theHeisman Trophy.[8]
Shannon began his big league career with theSt. Louis Cardinals in 1962. In 1964, he became the team's regularright fielder, shifting tothird base (in order to make room for the newly acquiredRoger Maris) in 1967. Shannon played in threeWorld Series for the Cardinals. He hit a game-tying two-run homer offWhitey Ford in Game 1 of the1964 World Series against theNew York Yankees, which St. Louis won 9–5.[9]
In 1966, Shannonbatted .288 in 137games played with 16home runs and 64runs batted in (RBIs). He was named theNational League's (NL)Player of the Month in July (.395, seven home runs, 23 RBIs). For1968, he batted .266 in 156 games, with 15 home runs and 79 RBIs; he finished in seventh place in voting for theNL Most Valuable Player Award, behind teammatesBob Gibson,Curt Flood, andLou Brock, as well asGiantsWillie McCovey andJuan Marichal, andPete Rose of theCincinnati Reds.[10]
In Game 3 of the1967 World Series against theBoston Red Sox, Shannon hit a home run offGary Bell. In Game 7 of the1968 World Series against theDetroit Tigers, Shannon's solo home run offMickey Lolich was the Cardinals' only run off Lolich as the Tigers clinched the series. Shannon also hit the last home run inSportsman's Park in 1966 and the first one for the Cardinals inBusch Memorial Stadium. In 1970, he contractednephritis, a kidney disease, which ended his playing career.[11]
Shannon joined the Cardinals' promotional staff in 1971; a year later he moved to the team's radio booth. For almost three decades Shannon was paired withHall of Fame announcerJack Buck on AM 1120KMOX and theCardinals Radio Network. After Buck's death in 2002, Shannon became the team's lead radio voice, teaming withJoel Meyers (2002), Wayne Hagin (2003–2005), andJohn Rooney (2006–2021). In 2006, he moved toKTRS (550) which had won broadcasting rights for the Cardinals and ownership of the station. For the 2011 season, KMOX regained the rights for Cardinals broadcasting and Shannon returned to his former employer.[12]
Shannon received a localEmmy Award for his work on Cardinal broadcasts in 1985, and was inducted into theMissouri Sports Hall of Fame in 1999.[13] He was named Missouri Sportscaster of the Year in 2002 and 2003.[14]
Shannon's signature home run call was "Here's a long one to left/center/right, get up baby, get up, get up...oh yeah!"[15]
During the 1980s, Shannon worked as a backup analyst behindJoe Garagiola andTony Kubek forNBC'sGame of the Week telecasts, typically working with play-by-play manJay Randolph.[16]
Counting his tenure in the minor leagues, Shannon spent 64 years—nearly his entire adult life—with the Cardinals in some capacity.[17] He also called Cardinals games longer than anyone, 50 years.
On August 8, 2014, Shannon was inducted into the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame.[18]
From 2016 until his retirement in 2021, Shannon only called home games for the Cardinals.[19] On January 14, 2021, Shannon announced that the 2021 season, his 50th in the broadcast booth, would be his last.[20] On October 3, 2021, the Cardinals honored Shannon in a farewell ceremony.[21]
Shannon contractedCOVID-19 in October 2020, spending 15 days in the hospital, and being placed in a medically induced coma. He recovered but dealt with long COVID in the aftermath.[22]
Shannon died inMarion, Illinois, on April 29, 2023, at the age of 83, after suffering a stroke.[23]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)| Preceded by | Major League Player of the Month July 1966 | Succeeded by |
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| National | |