2023 Celebrity Net Worth / All Rights Reserved. Anyone can read what you share. Who is Mickey Mantle Dating? On August 13, 1995, two months after the liver transplant, Mickey Mantle was dead. The former ballplayer attributed his poor. He died in 1995 of a heart attack which he suffered months after receiving a liver transplant. ". [2] Mantle was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974[3] and was elected to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999. After Mantle graduated from high school, Greenwade returned to sign Mantle to a minor league contract. In 1974 Mantle was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot. He was one of those rare hitters who could hit for both average and power and was a three-time MVP. Mickey Charles Mantle Nickname: The Mick, The Commerce Comet Birth date: October 20, 1931 Death date: August 13, 1995 (age 63) Zodiac Sign: Libra Height: 5' 11" Relationship Status: Married Net Worth: $10 million Background Mickey Charles Mantle is widely regarded as baseball's greatest offensive threat at center field. [citation needed], On January 16, 1961, Mantle became the highest-paid player in baseball by signing a $75,000 (equivalent to $680,000 in 2021) contract. [62][47] His father died of Hodgkin's disease at age 40 in 1952, and his grandfather also died young of the same disease. Five years earlier, in 1956, Mantle had challenged Ruth's record for most of the season, and the New York press had been protective of Ruth on that occasion also. He later wrote a book (My Favorite Summer 1956) about his best year in baseball. Retrieved December 9, 2012. The ball park was right beside the road, and he was on his way to watch some guy play in another town. . He also hit 26 home runs and recorded 136 runs batted in. Key points: Mickey Mantle played for the New York Yankees between 1951 and 1968, winning seven World Series titles The 1952 card, considered to be in near perfect condition, was bought for $US50,000 in 1991 [66], Mantle's popularity led to controversy over his liver transplant. He even got me out of the commencement exercises so I could play ball because he was thinking of signing me for the Yankees. [31] Mantle hit .255 with 19 home runs and 46 RBI in 361 plate appearances. "[66] Richardson read the poem at Mantle's funeral, which he described as being extremely difficult. But I still didn't have it in my head that I was a good major league ballplayer. Mickey Charles Mantle was born in Spavinaw, Okla., on Oct. 20, 1931. Described by him as his "favorite summer", his major league-leading .353 batting average, 52 home runs, and 130 runs batted in brought home both the Triple Crown and first of three Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Awards. [82][87][88] This card is sometimes erroneously referred to as Mantle's rookie card, though Mantle had in fact appeared in the 1951 Bowman Baseball set. The value of Mickey Mantle's baseball card just shot up into the sky like a homerun. | Movieclip(2) |", "Tom Russell's Talents Still Shine Through", "Mantle, Yanks' Rookie, Loses Duel With Sun", "Mickey Mantle Inherits Baseball's Biggest Job", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mickey_Mantle&oldid=1142182139, September 28,1968,for theNew York Yankees, 1956 - Mantle made a (talking) cameo appearance in, 1962 - Mantle and Maris starred as themselves in the film, 1988 - Mantle appeared in the official video for, 1993 and 1996 - References are made to Mantle in the sitcom, Career statistics and player information from, This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 23:52. "Joe DiMaggio was my hero," Mantle said, "but he couldn't talk to me because I wouldn't even look at him, although he was always nice and polite." [71], Mantle died at 2:10a.m. on August 13, 1995 at Baylor University Medical Center with his wife at his side, five months after his mother had died at age 91. In 1973, at the Old-Timers Game at Yankee Stadium, Mantle, batting right handed, faced old friend Whitey Ford. He was selected an AL All-Star again, but as a reserve player, and he did not make the 28-player team for the second and last time because of an injury. During the 1957 World Series, Milwaukee Braves second baseman Red Schoendienst fell on Mantle's left shoulder in a collision at second base. Mickey Mantle (1951) Mantle as a 19-year-old rookie Mantle baseball card Mantle was invited to the Yankees instructional camp before the 1951 season. [citation needed], Joe DiMaggio retired from baseball following the 1951 World Series. He missed several weeks, so his numbers were modest but respectable, especially with 92 RBIs. (Another story says, he was badly injured playing touch football, at home, in the late summer of that year). The hit is said to have traveled 643 feet. "[20] Mantle immediately broke out of his slump, and went on to hit .361 with 11 homers and 50 RBIs during his stay in Kansas City. He has the third highest career OPS+ among MLB players who played the majority of their career after 1950, behind only Barry Bonds and Mike Trout. However, he was not able to find the power he once had in the lower minors. "Casey Stengel was like a father to me," Mantle said. Mickey Jr. later died of liver cancer on December 20, 2000 at age 47. Mickey Mantle, with his death Sunday at 63, passes from these pages forever and becomes the property . Gone were the days of $3 autographs. That was the start of my knee operations. The couple had four children together during the course of their marriage. Throughout his life, Mantle had been a heavy drinker. Mickey Mantle was one of the greatest players in MLB history for nearly two decades with the New York Yankees. Mantle was selected an All-Star every season during his 18-year career except 1951 and 1966, and did not play in the 1952, 1963, and 1965 seasons. Is Mickey Mantle in the Hall of Fame? Among his many accomplishments are all-time World Series records for home runs (18), runs scored (42), and runs batted in (40).[21]. Mickey Mantle 1959 Topps Baseball Card #10. Early Baseball Lessons From Both Sides of Plate. In 1956, he hit 16 home runs in May. He hit .313, played shortstop and made 47 errors in 89 games. The Yankees and Mantle were slowed by injuries during the 1965 season, and they finished in sixth place, 25 games behind the Minnesota Twins. A year later, Mantle received a liver transplant, but on August 13, 1995, he died of a heart attack at the age of 63. Mickey Mantle was an American skilled baseball participant who had a The next was arguably his first great year, as he concluded with 37 home runs and a .306 batting average. [59][60], Mantle allegedly took his first drink of alcohol at age 19, when teammate Hank Bauer gave him a beer that he "chugged as if it were soda pop", according to baseball historian Frank Russo. [75], On Mickey Mantle Day at Yankee Stadium, June 8, 1969, Mantle's number 7 was retired and he was a awarded a bronze plaque to be hung on the center field wall near the monuments to Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Miller Huggins. Mickey's wallet was also getting thicker. I'm not going to lie to you: The next drink you take may be your last.". In addition, compared to the other four center fielders on the All-Century team, he had the lowest career rate of grounding into double plays, and he had the highest World Series on-base percentage and World Series slugging percentage. During his tenure in New York, the team appeared in 12 World Series, winning seven. Three years later, he reached his peak salary of $100,000 and never asked for another raise again. He was 63. In 1994, he checked into the Betty Ford Clinic, where doctors diagnosed him with cirrhosis, hepatitis, and cancer of the liver. MLB held two All-Star Games from 1959 through 1962. Mutt drove up to Kansas City that day. Alan Rosen, one of the biggest baseball card dealers in the business--in one year, he did $6 million worth of business--sponsored a reunion of the 1961 Yankees at Trump Castle in Atlantic City. As a teammate, he never complained about his injuries and always tried to lead by example. David Mantle was recently walking in New York City when a passer-by said something odd. Frequently, he would dump ice water on those who were showering. He spent his final two careers in the major leagues playing first base. He was survived by his wife, Merlyn (Johnson) Mantle, and three sons: David, Danny and Mickey Jr. His fourth son, Billy, had earlier died of Hodgkins disease. He is best known for setting a new MLB single-season home run record with 61 home runs in 1961. You're the best we've got.' Mickey Mantle Net Worth is $3 Million Mickey Mantle Bio/Wiki, Net Worth, Married 2018. . In 1956, Mantle achieved one of baseballs most elusive feats winning the American League batting triple crown with 52 home runs, 130 RBIs, and a .353 batting average. Agent and companion of Mickey Mantle. Those words were carved on the plaque marking his resting place at the family mausoleum in Dallas. Mantle batted left-handed against his father when his father pitched to him right-handed, and he batted right-handed against his grandfather, Charles Mantle, when he pitched to him left-handed. At the time, Mantle did not know that most of the men in his family had inhaled lead and zinc dust in the mines, which can cause Hodgkin's disease and other cancers. In one interview, Mantle stated that the people of Greensboro had "gone out of their way to make me feel welcome, and I've found something there I haven't enjoyed since I was a kid.". [40] His 372 to-164 home run disparity was due to Mantle having batted left-handed much more often, as the large majority of pitchers are right-handed. Joe DiMaggio was playing center field. After an impressive spring training, Yankees manager Casey Stengel decided to promote Mantle to the majors as a right fielder instead of sending him to the minors. By Bruce Haring. I think I hit two more home runs that night. In spite of short foul pole dimension of 296 feet (90m) to left and 301 feet (92m) to right in original Yankee Stadium, Mantle gained no advantage there as his stroke both left and right-handed drove balls there to power alleys of 344' to 407' and 402' to 457' feet (139m) from the plate. He won the Triple Crown in 1956 and a Gold Globe Award in 1962. Recently, he had been suffering from anemia, a side effect of aggressive chemotherapy treatment, and had been receiving blood transfusions. "Once, they operated on my shoulder and tied the tendons together. [47] In 1980, Mantle separated from his wife, and while the two lived apart for the rest of Mantle's life, they never filed for divorce. He was also honored with the Hickok Belt as the top American professional athlete of 1956. During his 18-year career with the Yankees, the switch-hitting slugger hit 536 home runs and was voted the AL Most Valuable Player three times (195657, 1962). He was well-liked by the citizens of Greensboro, and seemed to like them in return. Mantle was named in honor of Mickey Cochrane, a Hall of Fame catcher in baseball. During Game 5 of the 1956 World SeriesDon Larsen's perfect game against the Brooklyn DodgersMantle kept the perfect game alive by making a running catch of a deep fly ball off the bat of Gil Hodges, and provided the first of the two runs the Yankees would score with a fourth-inning home run off Brooklyn starter Sal Maglie. Kuhn warned Mantle before he accepted the position that he would be placed on the list if he took the job. Mike Trout is the best MLB player of his generation and he might be even higher on the all-time list of best baseball players . Just those two pairs of pastel slacks and that blue sports coat that he wore every place. Mantle was the starting center fielder in the second All-Star Game's lineup, getting a single and a walk in four at bats. This was the first of numerous injuries that plagued his 18-year career with the Yankees. He received a liver transplant soon afterward. Not only that, but in their championship year of 1961, Mantle and Maris provided a seasonlong drama in their chase of Ruth's home run record; Mantle, sidelined by an abscessed hip, dropped out in mid-September with 54, while Maris finished with a record 61. Mickey Mantle had an amazing baseball career with multiple records and fantastic stats. [16] Mantle hit his first professional home run on June 30, 1949, at Shulthis Stadium. The team played the rest of the season with black mourning bands topped by a number 7 on their left sleeves. Mickey Charles Mantle (October 20, 1931 August 13, 1995), nicknamed "the Commerce Comet" and "the Mick",[1] was an American professional baseball player. And down in Baltimore in 1963, Slick was pitching one night and Brooks Robinson hit a home run over the center-field fence. After fouling off a few pitches, he hit a towering home run over the 402-foot sign by the bullpen. [12] Mantle spoke warmly of his father and said that he was the bravest man whom he had ever known. Mantle is 16th all-time in home runs per at-bats. "Then Ralph Houk came along and changed my whole idea of thinking about myself. Although his batting average was his lowest since his rookie year, his league-leading 40 home runs and 94 runs batted in, saw him come in a close second to Roger Maris's MVP award. Deducting for bounces,[5] there is no doubt that both landed well over 500 feet (152m) from home plate. Last edited on 28 February 2023, at 23:52, Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Awards, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Sparkman-Hillcrest Memorial Park Cemetery, Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year, List of Major League Baseball players to hit for the cycle, List of Major League Baseball retired numbers, List of Major League Baseball home run records, List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders, List of Major League Baseball career hits leaders, List of Major League Baseball career runs scored leaders, List of Major League Baseball career runs batted in leaders, List of Major League Baseball career stolen bases leaders, List of Major League Baseball career total bases leaders, List of Major League Baseball batting champions, List of Major League Baseball annual home run leaders, List of Major League Baseball annual runs batted in leaders, List of Major League Baseball annual runs scored leaders, List of Major League Baseball annual triples leaders, List of Major League Baseball players who spent their entire career with one franchise, "Longest Home Run Ever Hit by Baseball Almanac", "On what would have been his 80th birthday, Mickey Mantle's World Series home run record still stands", "New York 500 Home Run Club Mickey Mantle Yankees", Elven Charles "Mutt" Mantle + Lovell Velma Richardson PhpGedView, "Mickey Mantle Minor League Statistics and History", "Dickey Calls Mickey Mantle Best Prospect He Ever Saw", "Talkin' Matt Wieters and the concept of hype, with Bill James", "All-time and Single-Season World Series Batting Leaders Baseball-Reference.com", "Stunned Mantle Again Named 'Most Valuable', "Mickey Mantle 1961 Back in Time: January 1961 Photos SI Vault", "MANTLE'S HOMER SUBDUES A'S, 8-7; Clout in 11th Almost Clears Stadium--Two-Out Drive in 9th Ties Yankees", "July 9, 1963: Mays leads NL stars in return to single All-Star Game - Society for American Baseball Research", "Yanks' Woes of '08 Eerily Similar to '65", "Flashback: When Texas Opened the 8th Wonder of the World", "Midsummer Classics: Celebrating MLB's All-Star Game", "Jeter adds games played to his Yanks records", "Mickey Mantle Almost Gave Up Switch-Hitting in 1960", "Mickey Mantle Career Home Runs Baseball-Reference.com", "The Lantern 19 May 1969 Ohio State University Newspaper Archives", "Yankees' Old-Timers' Day never gets old | Newsday", "Mickey Mantle Society for American Baseball Research", "Mickey Mantle Strikes Out, Then Hits a Homer", "Merlyn Mantle, widow of Yankee icon Mickey Mantle, succumbs to Alzheimer's disease at age 77", "Brett Favre, Tiger Woods, Sports Bad Boys Couldn't Touch Mickey Mantle", "Mickey Mantle's Nephew Has 2 Gay-Themed Plays in Chicago", "Sandomir, Richard. What was Mickey Mantle worth when he died? He led the American League in home runs four times (in 1955, 1956, 1958 and 1960) and led the league in almost everything in 1956, when he won the triple crown with these totals: a .353 batting average, 130 runs batted in and 52 home runs. In 1989, it has been documented that Mantle made as much as $150,000 for three days of work at a 1961 Yankees reunion show in Atlantic City. He was a center fielder who was a switch-hitter and threw right handed. However, during the second game of the 1951 World Series, he tripped over a drain pipe and severely injured his right night. Mantle became a Christian when his former teammate Bobby Richardson, a Baptist, shared his faith with him. When Mantle finally fell short, finishing with 52, many of the traditionalists were relieved. Over the course of time, however, Mantle (with a little help from his teammate Whitey Ford, a native of Queens) had learned to deal with the New York media and had gained the favor of the press. The New York press was harsh in its treatment of Mantle in his early years with the team, emphasizing that he struck out frequently, was injury-prone, was a rube from Oklahoma, and was perceived as inferior to his predecessor in center field, Joe DiMaggio. [51], Mantle worked as a customer-relations representative for the Dallas Reserve Life Insurance Company. [61] Before Mantle sought treatment for alcoholism, he admitted that his hard living had hurt both his playing and his family. Mickey Mantle Original 1969 Topps Baseball Card #500. Mickey Mantle was born in Spavinaw, Oklahoma in October 1931 and passed away in August 1995. While his drinking became public knowledge during his lifetime, the press kept quiet about his many marital infidelities. Please reorganize this content to explain the subject's impact on popular culture. In 1998, The Sporting News placed Mantle at 17th on its list of baseball's 100 greatest players. [55] In an autobiography, Mantle said that he had married Merlyn not out of love, but because he was told to by his domineering father. That's how I signed with the Yankees.". His lifestyle was restored to its former luxury by his leadership in the sports-memorabilia craze that swept the U.S. beginning in the 1980s. Due to his popularity, he often appeared in a variety of documentaries and sports videos. Mantle returned to the hospital in late July, and the cancer was found to have spread throughout his body. Mickey Mantle's #7 was retired by the New York Yankees and he was named to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. When Mantle was four years old, his family moved to Commerce, Oklahoma, where his father worked in lead and zinc mines. As per our current Database, Mickey Mantle died on Aug 13, 1995 (age 63). He played the rest of his career with a torn ACL. [15] Mantle won the Western Association batting title, with a .383 average. In the 1920's, they won six American League pennants and three World Series. [10] Mickey Mantle's salary for the 1951 season was $7,500. Mantle's parents drove him at midnight to Oklahoma City, where he was treated at the children's hospital with the newly available penicillin, which reduced the infection and saved his leg from amputation. It was later estimated by some that the ball could have traveled 504 feet (154m)[38] had it not been blocked by the ornate and distinctive facade. Mickey Mantle passed away on August 13, 1995 at 63 years old.Mickey Mantle Net Worth. It was that year, also, he was timed running from home plate to first base in 3.1 seconds, considered outstanding for a heavy hitter. He played in 2,401 games and went to bat 8,102 times -- more than any other Yankee -- and delivered 2,415 hits for a .298 batting average. 500 and now he. For the second consecutive year, he narrowly missed winning his third MVP award, finishing four points behind repeat winner Maris. Beginning in 1997, the Topps Baseball Card company retired card #7 in its baseball flagship sets in tribute to Mantle, whose career was taking off just as Topps began producing them. She was married to Mickey Mantle. In his first complete World Series (1952), Mantle was the Yankees hitting star, with an on-base percentage above .400 and a slugging percentage above .600. You see, when you have a prairie fire, if you don't clean out a 10-yard spot around a telephone pole, it will burn the telephone pole out, and it will cost you a lot of money. Mantle received the transplant at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas on June 8, 1995. The first main series #7 card not issued to Mantle or a Yankee was to shortstop Orlando Arcia of the Milwaukee Brewers in 2021. I see I raised a coward instead. His wife is Merlyn Mantle (23 December 1951 - 13 August 1995) ( his death) ( 4 children) Mickey Mantle Net Worth His net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. He checked into the Betty Ford Clinic on January 7, 1994 after being told by a doctor that his liver was so badly damaged from almost 40 years of drinking that it "looked like a doorstop". In 1953, batting right-handed, he hit a ball thrown by Chuck Stobbs of the Washington Senators over the 55-foot-high left-field fence in Griffith Stadium, a drive that was measured at 565 feet from home plate. Mantle gave a similar plaque to DiMaggio, telling the huge crowd in Yankee Stadium, "Joe DiMaggio's deserves to be higher. $1,847.75. Mickey Mantle, 63, the superstar slugging center fielder of the New York Yankees of the 1950s and 1960s whose baseball feats and golden good looks made him an American legend, died of liver cancer yesterday at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas. He announced his retirement at the age of 37 in 1969 and delivered a farewell speech in Yankees Stadium. Mantle had his breakout season in 1956 after showing progressive improvement each of his first five years. Mickey Mantle was an American professional baseball player who had a net worth of $10 million at the time of his death. 1959 is said to be his only "off season" in his prime, and historians point to 75 runs batted in as particularly low for him. Of his fear of dying early, he once said: "I'll never get a pension. "I'm not gonna be cheated," he would say. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. All net worths are calculated using data drawn from public sources. "TELEVISION: Summerall's Struggle with Alcohol" (, "THE DEATH OF A HERO; Mantle's Cancer 'Most Aggressive' His Doctors Had Seen", "Sports of The Times; Mickey Mantle's Cancer", "Questions Are Raised On Mantle Transplant", "Mickey Mantle, Great Yankee Slugger, Dies at 63", "Merlyn Mantle, widow of Mickey, dies at 77", "Cheers, Tears Ring For Mantle As Uniform No. They give a damn now.". "When I graduated from high school in 1949, Greenwade showed up again. History Colorado and the Rockies baseball club are putting on display your PSA 10 Topps 1952 Mickey Mantle and some spectacular memorabilia from your collection across the street from Coors Field from July 10 through July 18th where the All Star Game is being held. He hit one over the right center field roof at Briggs Stadium, which is said to have traveled 643 feet. Also helping Mantle decide to enter the clinic was sportscaster Pat Summerall, who had played for the New York Giants football team at Yankee Stadium, by then a recovering alcoholic and a member of Mantle's Dallas-area country club. $234.00. [49], Although he was among the best-paid players of the pre-free-agency era, Mantle was a poor businessman and did not invest well. A Mickey Mantle baseball card from 1952 sold for a jaw-dropping $12,600,000 early Sunday morning, according to a news release from Heritage. [44] Dr. Stephen Haas, medical director for the National Football League Players Association, has speculated that Mantle tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) during the incident and played the rest of his career without having it properly treated since ACLs could not be repaired with the surgical techniques available in that era. [79], In 1969, Mantle received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement.[80]. Mantle was a prized guest at baseball-card shows, commanding fees far in excess of those of any other player for his appearances and autographs. He showed a certain amount of humility and never let the stardom go to his head. He also hit a record total of 18 home runs in 12 World Series, and 2 more in 16 All-Star Games. Against Walt Masterson of the Boston Red Sox he struck out five times in one game. Full body measurements, dress & shoe size will be updated soon. He died on August 13, 1995, Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, TX. [11] Mutt named his son in honor of Mickey Cochrane, a Hall of Fame catcher. He returned to the center field position on September 2. He died in Texas in 1995. Shortly before his death, Mantle videotaped a message to be played on Old-Timers' Day, which he was too ill to attend. Mantle broke many records and made many accomplishments throughout his career. I was the best man at Martin's wedding in 1988, and I can hardly remember being there." Mickey Mantle was 5-11 (180 cm) tall. 1952 Bowman Mickey Mantle Yankees Card #101 HOF - Certified SGC 1. All combined, Mantle earned $1.12 million during his career. . ", After Leaving Baseball, Day and Night Drinking, The Yankees stopped winning pennants after the 1964 season, and Mantle stopped playing after the 1968 season. Adjusted for inflation, he earned approximately $9 million. How tall was Mickey Mantle? As the years passed, Mantle frequently used a line popularized by football legend Bobby Layne, a Dallas neighbor and friend who also died in part from alcohol abuse: "If I'd known I was gonna live this long, I'd have taken a lot better care of myself. Out of frustration, he called his father one day and told him, "I don't think I can play baseball anymore." Mantle played for the New York Yankees his entire Major League Baseball career from 1951 to 1968. [34] He was selected an AL All-Star and pinch-hit at the All-Star Game on July 11. Mantle's signature is valued at $100 to $125. Overall, he hit slightly more home runs away (270) than home (266). He delivered a farewell speech on Mickey Mantle Day, June 8, 1969, at Yankee Stadium. All combined, Mantle earned $1.12 million during his career. When he arrived, he started packing his son's clothes and, according to Mantle's memory, said "I thought I raised a man. His final few years in baseball involved many injuries, though he remained a solid player. The home run was his 16th in a World Series, breaking Babe Ruth's record of 15. A 1952 Topps Mikey Mantle card with a 9.5 grade more than doubled the all-time record for a sports card, selling for $12.6 million. [47] Joe Collins, who played with him from 1951 through 1957, recalled that "Mickey was the type of guy who cared about you as a person. Mickey Mantle keeps his personal and love life private. Mantle began attending school there and was an all-around athlete at Commerce High School. My mother made every baseball uniform I ever wore till I signed with the Yankees. Mickey Mantle was quite the charmer, it seems. [42], Mantle's career was plagued with injuries. [10][15] Shulthis Stadium, the baseball stadium in Independence where Mantle played, had been the site of the first night game of organized baseball in 1930. He not only hit the ball, he hammered it. He was legally drunk at the time. Aberback, Brian (September 7, 2017). "Everything he owned was in a straw suitcase," he said. On May 22, Mantle hit a line-drive home run off the third-tier facade at Yankee Stadium, the closest that any hitter had come to hitting a fair ball out of the park. A school in Manhattan was renamed for Mantle on June 4, 2002. Like Mickey, Merlyn and three of their sons became alcoholics,[56] and Billy developed Hodgkin's disease, as had several previous men in Mantle's family. In the second game of the 1951 World Series, New York Giants rookie Willie Mays hit a fly ball to right-center field. He played halfback and Oklahoma offered him a football scholarship. On August 25, 1996, about a year after his death, Mantle's Monument Park plaque was replaced with a monument bearing the words "A great teammate" and keeping a phrase that had been included on the original plaque: "A magnificent Yankee who left a legacy of unequaled courage." He outlived the family curse of Hodgkin's disease, which had contributed to the death by heart attack of his 36-year-old son Billy, and the early deaths of his father, at 39, his grandfather and two uncles.