On Saturday, St. Louis mourned the loss of its most beloved sports icon, maybe even the city's all-time most popular citizen, when Stan Musial died at the age of 92. Musial played his entire 22-year career with the Cardinals, winning three MVP awards, seven batting titles, and three championships. He had a career .331 batting average and slugged 475 home runs when home run numbers still meant something.
But more than anything he accomplished on the field, Stan The Man will be remembered for his character. That word has become a cliche in the sports world, where we seek to deify our athletes by equating their on-field accomplishments with off-field moral superiority. Words like leadership and integrity are thrown around at random. But with Musial, they truly applied. A humble family man, he knew everybody's name, put up his own Christmas lights, and played the harmonica.
To help the city mourn, we pulled a few stories from our archives that look at the exemplary life of Stan "The Man" Musial.
St. Louis Hometown Stories: Stan Musial, Baseball Hall of Famer
Lillian Musial, on feeling welcome in St. Louis.
5 Reasons We Love Stan the Man
Including his habit of congratulating greenhorn opponents on their first Big League hits.
Two New Books Chronicle St. Louis Legends
A Q+A with Musial biographer George Vecsey.
A Q+A with Musial biographer Wayne Stewart.
