Joe Garagiola

Profession: MLB Catcher

Nationality:

Biography: Joe Garagiola Sr. was an American baseball player, broadcaster, and television host known for his Major League Baseball (MLB) career, long-standing role in sports broadcasting, and advocacy against tobacco use.

Garagiola grew up in an Italian-American neighborhood in St. Louis, known as the Hill, where he was a childhood friend and competitor of Yogi Berra. He signed with the St. Louis Cardinals at age 16 and began his professional baseball career.

Drafted into military service in 1944, Garagiola played baseball in the Philippines for the Manila Dodgers. He made his MLB debut in 1946 with the Cardinals and played nine seasons.

Following his baseball career, Garagiola transitioned to broadcasting, joining Cardinals radio broadcasts on KMOX. He then went on to a nearly 30-year association with NBC television, providing national baseball broadcasts and hosting The Baseball World of Joe Garagiola.

Aside from broadcasting, Garagiola was involved in advocacy work, speaking out against chewing tobacco and expressing regret for his defense of the reserve clause. He contributed to community causes, notably the St. Peter's Indian Mission Catholic School.

His lifetime awards include induction into multiple halls of fame, as well as receiving the Ford C. Frick Award (1991), and the Buck O'Neil Lifetime Achievement Award (2014).

Born: February 12, 1926
Birthplace: St. Louis, Missouri, USA

Generation: Greatest Generation
Chinese Zodiac: Ox
Star Sign: Aquarius

Died: March 23, 2016 (aged 90)