Background

Ethnicity: Musial's father was a Polish immigrant, and the parents of the player's Carpatho-Rusyn mother came from Czechoslovakia (present-day Czech Republic and Slovakia).

Stan Musial was born on November 21, 1920 in Donora, Pennsylvania, United States. He was a son of Lukasz Musial, who worked in the shipping department of the mill in Donora, and Mary Lancos. Stan had four elder sisters and one younger brother, Ed, who would go on to play baseball in the minor leagues after World War II.

Education

Stan Musial revealed interest in baseball at an early age. He often played with his younger brother and learned some game basics from his neighbor Joe Barbao, a semi-pro ball player.

Batting and throwing left-handed while playing for Barbao's semi-professional team Donora Zinc Works in 1937, Musial picked up the habit of hitting to the opposite field. At the hometown field, trolley tracks shortened the distance to the left-field fence, so Musial tried to aim that way. The ability to go the opposite way became one of his greatest weapons.

Stan Musial played for Donora High School (present-day Ringgold High School) baseball team over the winter of 1937-1938. Buddy Griffey was among his teammates. He left school before graduating, in about 1936. Musial played basketball as well and even received an athletic scholarship from the University of Pittsburgh.

Career

The start of Stan Musial's professional career can be counted from his first professional baseball contract that he signed with the St. Louis Cardinals at the age of sixteen. First, he was sent to the Class D Mountain States League of the low minors, Williamson, West Virginia, were he spent the 1938 and 1939 seasons. Musial's progress wasn't impressive, and Williamson's manager, Harrison Wickel, recommended to release him. Luckily for Musial, a Williamson outfielder was injured, and he was assigned an everyday hitter. He batted .352, and that saved his career.

For the next season, Stan Musial was transferred to another Class D league, the Florida State League in Daytona Beach. While there, Musial combined the roles of an outfielder and pitcher, and hit .311. The injure of his left shoulder that he had received in one of the games endangered his further pitching career but fortunately it was decided to give him a second chance.

During the single 1941 season, Stan Musial rose from the minor league player to a hitter in the major leagues. First, he was promoted to Class C Springfield Cardinals (Missouri), where he batted .379 with 24 home runs in 87 games, and then to Class B Rochester (New York) farm club where he hit .326 in 24 games. Upon the end of the Rochester season, the Cardinals admitted him to its major league. Since the debut on September 17, 1941, Stan Musial had six hits in a doubleheader and hit .426 in 12 games. Such a sensational score booked him the starting left field job for the next season.

The youngest player among the inexperienced Cardinals, Musial led the team to win 106 games, including 43 of their last 52, that earned it the National League pennant. Then St. Louis beat the New York Yankees in the 5 games of the World Series. Musial's league-leading .357 average in 1943 and his .347 mark in 1944 provided the Cardinals with two more pennants when baseball's player ranks were being depleted by World War II. The Cardinals lost the World Series to the Yankees in 1943 and to their cross-town rivals, the St. Louis Browns, the following year.

In 1945, Stan Musial was called up for the military service. He joined the Navy as a mechanic and performed his duties on a ship repair unit at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. He didn't forget about baseball and trained regularly with a base team. The St. Cardinals finished the season in the second place without Musial.

He came back to the team a year later and helped it to earn the next pennant. St. Louis had finished first in each of Musial's first four full seasons, but they would never do so again throughout his long career. He again led the league in batting with a .365 average, and also topped the league in slugging, hits (228), runs (124), doubles (50), and triples (20). He was again named the league's Most Valuable Player, the same as before he was drafted.

A competent but not spectacular outfielder, Musial played most of his further games in a new position, at a first base. The health problems made the 1947 season the only one among his first twelve full seasons when he failed to lead the league in any offensive category. He came back to his accustomed place on a left field the following year which turned out to be his best and one of the most dominating seasons in baseball history. According to its results, Stan Musial received the third title of the league's Most Valuable Player.

In 1949, Musial opened his own restaurant in St. Louis. In a few years he became one of the city's most eminent personalities, and he would remain such long after his playing career ended. Playing outside a major media market throughout the two next decades, Musial symbolized the workaday ballplayer who loved baseball and delighted loyal fans with his steady play.

He made decision to retire after he couldn't achieve .300 in 1959. The Cardinals had a new young first baseman, Bill White, but Musial played four more seasons, though getting frequent rests to nurse a myriad of injuries. In 1962, at the age of 41, he played left field and hit .330. Musial's last game was held on September 29, 1963. The sportsman was honored in pre-game ceremonies and gave a speech, then had two hits in the game.

A year after the retirement from the sport, Stan Musial was assigned the director of the National Council on Physical Fitness and Sports (present-day President's Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition). Then, during the 1967 season, he served as general manager of the St. Louis Cardinals. He became one of baseball's greatest ambassadors as well. He regularly appeared at the annual Hall of Fame induction ceremonies in Cooperstown, New York and at other important baseball events. He was often present at Cardinals home games.

Achievements

• 

  Stan Musial is rightly regarded as one of the most eminent baseball players and one of the best hitters in the history of the game. 50 all-time baseball records are to his credit.
  
  At the time of his retirement, Musial's totals of times at bat (10,972), hits (3,630), and runs scored (1,949) were surpassed only by Ty Cobb, and his total of runs batted in (1,951) was exceeded only by Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig; all were records for the National League (since surpassed). Musial also set a major league record with 1,377 extra-base hits (broken by Hank Aaron in 1973). Besides his seven victories in batting championships, Musial led the National League in slugging percentage six times, in on-base percentage six times, in hits six times, in doubles eight times, in triples five times, in runs five times, in runs batted in twice, and in walks once.
  
  Musial was honored by a great number of prestigious accolades for his outstanding achievements. A three-time recipient of the Most Valuable Player title by 1948, he was elected the National League All-Star in 20 of his 22 seasons. In 1969, Stan Musial was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. The Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011 was followed by the election to the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum three years later. Besides, Musial was a four-time National League Player of the Year and three-time Major League Player of the Year according to The Sporting News magazine (sports news website since December 2012).
  
  On August 4, 1968, a statue of Stan Musial was placed near Busch Memorial Stadium. It was transferred to the surrounding area of Busch Stadium in spring 2006, soon after its opening. The caption on the monument reads: "Here stands baseball's perfect warrior. Here stands baseball's perfect knight."

Works

More photos

• book

  • Stan Musial: "The Man's" Own Story

    (Stan Musial's autobiography as told to Bob Broeg.)

    1964

Views

Stan Musial was almost unmatched in all types of pitching. According to the sportsman, relaxation and concentration were crucial for good hitting. Disciplined and consistent, he was rarely unproductive.

Musial expressed straightforward gratitude and love for baseball throughout his entire career. Being a player was far more important to him than being a famous person. He believed that the play of a sportsman could tell more about him than the player himself.

A proponent of racial equality over the course of his baseball career, Musial was among those who stood for Jackie Robinson's right to play. He denied taking part in the tobacco advertising since the 1950s.

Quotations: "I was a poor boy who struck it rich in many ways through the wonders of baseball."

"I believe baseball was a great game, is a great game, and will be a great game."

"I love to play this game of baseball – I love putting on this uniform."

"Back in my day, we didn't think about money as much. We enjoyed playing the game. We loved baseball. I didn't think about anybody else but the Cardinals."

"The key to hitting for high average is to relax, concentrate, and don't hit the fly ball to center field."

"Hitting is like swimming. Once you learn the stroke, you never forget it."

"If I freed my mind of all distracting thoughts, I could tell what a pitch was going to be when it got about halfway to the plate."

"Get eight hours of sleep regularly. Keep your weight down, run a mile a day. If you must smoke, try light cigars. They cut down on inhaling."

"The first principle of contract negotiations is don't remind them of what you did in the past – tell them what you're going to do in the future."

"What I try to do is never to hurt anybody else and figure if I don't, then I'm not likely to get hurt myself."

Personality

Stan Musial was dubbed "Stan the Man" by the Brooklyn Dodgers fans because of his intimidating presence on the field. Generally quiet, Musial avoided controversy while playing and stayed out of the public eye. He was never dismissed from game. But when the Cardinals tried to take advantage of his easygoing nature to keep down his salary, he fought back by staging several holdouts during spring training. In those days, with players bound by the reserve clause which tied them to teams for life, it was the only weapon players had to leverage their salaries.

Stan Musial remained one of the honorary citizens of St. Louis, Missouri, closer to the end of his life. He was a frequent guest in his famous restaurant, Stan Musial and Biggie's, though retired from active management. He never refused to sign an autograph or to have a word with anyone who would like to.

After retirement, Stan Musial spent most of his time with his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. He was also actively involved in charities and civic events which benefited various St. Louis charity organizations, such as Covenant House.

Quotes from others about the person

• Bob Costas, sportscaster: "He didn't hit a homer in his last at-bat; he hit a single. He didn't hit in 56 straight games. He married his high school sweetheart and stayed married to her, never married a Marilyn Monroe. He didn't play with the sheer joy and style that goes alongside Willie Mays' name. None of those easy things are there to associate with Stan Musial. All Musial represents is more than two decades of sustained excellence and complete decency as a human being."
  
  Red Schoendienst, American professional baseball player, coach, and manager: "Stan isn't like most players. They hope they'll hit four for four. Stan is always sure he will."
  
  Joe Garagiola, former professional baseball catcher, and later TV host: "He could have hit .300 with a fountain pen."
  
  Don Newcombe, professional baseball pitcher: "I could have rolled the ball up there against Musial, and he would have pulled out a golf club and hit it out."
  
  Vin Scully, broadcaster: "How good was Stan Musial? He was good enough to take your breath away."
  
  Mickey Mantle, American professional baseball player: "You know, I had as much ability as Stan, maybe more. Nobody had more power than me. Nobody could run faster than me. But Stan was a better player because he's a better man than me. Because he got everything out of his life and his ability that he could. And he'll never have to live with all the regret that I have to live with."

Interests

• playing harmonica

• Athletes

  Lefty Grove, Joe DiMaggio

Connections

Stan Musial first met his wife-to-be, a grocer's daughter, Lillian Susan Labash, in his native Donora about 1935. The marriage ceremony took place five years later, on May 25, at St. Paul's Catholic Church, Daytona Beach, Florida.

Stan and Lillian had four children, son Richard and daughters Gerry, Janet and Jeanie. The couple lived together till the Lillian's death on May 3, 2012.

Father:

Lukasz Musial

(born October 21, 1890 – died December 19, 1948)

Mother:

Mary Musial

(née Lancos; born about 1897 – died 1975)

Mary Musial was a daughter of a coal miner.

late wife:

Lillian Susan Musial

(née Labash; born 1920 – died May 3, 2012)

Sister:

Rose M. Musial

(by marriage Lang; born about 1919 – died 2001)

Sister:

Victoria Musial

(born about 1915 – died 1972)

Sister:

Ida Musial

(by marriage Daniels; born about 1914 – died 1963)

Sister:

Helen Musial

(by marriage Simpkins, later Belcastro; born about 1917 – died 2006)

Brother:

Ed John Musial

(born about 1922 – died 2003)

Son:

Richard Musial

(b. August 1940)

Daughter:

Gerry Musial

Daughter:

Janet Musial

Daughter:

Jeanie Musial

Friend:

Red Schoendienst

(born February 2, 1923 – died June 6, 2018)

Red Schoendienst, in full Albert Fred Schoendienst, was an American professional baseball player (second baseman). He played for the St. Louis Cardinals and also served as its coach and manager.

Friend:

Dickey Kerr

(born July 3, 1893 – died May 4, 1963)

Dickey Kerr, in full Richard Henry "Dickey" Kerr, was an American a left-handed baseball pitcher and coach.

References

• Stan Musial: An American Life The definitive portrait of one of the game's best-loved but most unappreciated legends, told through the remembrances of those who played beside, worked with, and covered "Stan the Man" over the course of his nearly seventy years in the national spotlight.
  2011
• Stan the Man: The Life and Times of Stan Musial The book sheds fresh light on the legendary Musial through the slew of never-before-published material and revealing anecdotes gained through numerous exclusive interviews with former classmates, relatives, friends, teammates, and contemporaries.
  2010
• Stan Musial: A Biography A book by Joseph Stanton.
  2007
• Stan Musial: Baseball's Perfect Knight Loaded with archival photos, the book tells the story of Stan's childhood and his quick rise to baseball history in St. Louis.
  2010