Ryne Sandberg, Chicago Cubs legend and Hall of Famer, dies at 65
Hall of Fame Chicago Cubs slugger and second baseman Ryne Sandberg has died, following a battle with prostate cancer.
Sandberg died Monday, July 28, the Cubs confirmed. He was 65 years old.
« Ryne Sandberg was a hero to a generation of Chicago Cubs fans and will be remembered as one of the all-time greats in nearly 150 years of this historic franchise », Cubs executive chairman Tom Ricketts said in a statement. « His dedication to and respect for the game, along with his unrelenting integrity, grit, hustle, and competitive fire were hallmarks of his career. He was immensely proud of his teammates and his role as a global ambassador of the game of baseball, but most of all, he was proud of Margaret, his children and his role as husband, father, and grandfather. »
Sandberg played in parts of 16 big-league seasons, almost entirely with the Cubs.
Sandberg was born Sept. 18, 1959, in Spokane, Washington. He was the youngest of four children of Derwent « Sandy » Sandberg, a mortician, and Elizabeth « Libby » Sandberg, a nurse, according to the Society for American Baseball Research.
Sandberg’s parents named him for New York Yankees pitcher Ryne Duren, the society reported.
At North Central High School in Spokane, Sandberg was a standout in baseball, as well as football and basketball, the society noted, citing local newspaper reports. He received All-America Team honors from Parade Magazine as a quarterback and punter on the school’s football team, and received second-team Greater Spokane League basketball honors his junior and senior years, the society reported.
On the basketball court, John Stockton, later of the Utah Jazz, was a rival of Sandberg’s from Gonzaga Prep High School, the society reported.
But of course, it was the baseball diamond that turned out to be Sandberg’s calling. In high school, Sandberg made the All-City team twice, hitting .417 with four home runs and helped lead his high school team to a 25-3 record and a second-place finish in the state tournament championship.
Major League Baseball scouts already had their eyes on Sandberg when he signed a letter of intent to go to Washington State University on a football scholarship, the society noted. While this was enough to make most scouts lose interest, scouts for the Philadelphia Phillies kept wooing Sandberg, and he ended up choosing baseball over football.
The Phillies drafted Sandberg in 1978. He played in the minor leagues first with the Pioneer League in Helena, Montana, and then with Class A Spartanburg in the Western Carolinas League in 1979, the society noted.
Sandberg advanced to Double-A reading in 1980 and made the Eastern League All-Star Team. He played in Triple-A Oklahoma City in 1981, before the Phillies called him up to the majors late that season.
Following the 1981 season, the Phillies and Cubs exchanged shortstops — Larry Bowa came to the Cubs in exchange for Iván DeJesus — but Cubs general manager Dallas Green wanted Sandberg too, according to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
In his first season with the Cubs in 1982, Sandberg played third base and hit .271 with 33 doubles and 32 stolen bases.
