Danny Thompson (baseball)

{{Other people|Danny Thompson|Daniel Thompson (disambiguation){{!}}Daniel Thompson}}

{{Infobox baseball biography

| name = Danny Thompson

| image = Danny Thompson Twins.jpg

| position = Shortstop

| birth_date = February 1, 1947

| birth_place = Wichita, Kansas, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|1976|12|10|1947|2|1}}

| death_place = Rochester, Minnesota, U.S.

| bats = Right

| throws = Right

|debutleague = MLB

| debutdate = June 25

| debutyear = 1970

| debutteam = Minnesota Twins

|finalleague = MLB

| finaldate = October 2

| finalyear = 1976

| finalteam = Texas Rangers

|statleague = MLB

| stat1label = Batting average

| stat1value = .248

| stat2label= Home Runs

| stat2value= 15

| stat3label = Runs batted in

| stat3value = 194

| teams =

Minnesota Twins ({{baseball year|1970}}–{{baseball year|1976}})
Texas Rangers ({{baseball year|1976}})

}}

Danny Leon Thompson (February 1, 1947 – December 10, 1976) was an American college and professional baseball player, a major league shortstop from 1970 to 1976. Diagnosed with leukemia in early 1973 at age 26, he played four more seasons in the majors and died ten weeks after his final game.

Baseball career

Born in Wichita, Kansas, Thompson grew up in tiny Capron, Oklahoma, and played college baseball at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, where he was an All-American.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=FWo0AAAAIBAJ&sjid=3AkEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5592%2C4466016 |newspaper=Wilmington Morning Star |location=North Carolina |agency=UPI |title=Leukemia threatens Thompson's baseball career |date=June 19, 1973 |page=16 }} He was the first pick of the Minnesota Twins in the secondary phase of the 1968 amateur draft.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=TQklAAAAIBAJ&sjid=VxEGAAAAIBAJ&pg=1285%2C1187453 |newspaper=Kiowa News |location=Kansas |agency=UPI |title=Large funeral for Thompson |date=December 16, 1976 |page=1}}

Thompson broke into the majors with the Twins in 1970 and had his first full season in 1972.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ZQUuAAAAIBAJ&sjid=wDUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6948%2C3559764 |newspaper=Rome News-Tribune |location=Georgia |agency=UPI |title=Tough to accept at first, but Danny battles hurlers, leukemia |date=June 24, 1973 |page=4C}} He was traded along with Bert Blyleven from the Twins to the Texas Rangers for Roy Smalley III, Mike Cubbage, Bill Singer and Jim Gideon on June 1, 1976.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=YHMjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=MWcEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6566%2C946818 |newspaper=Sarasota Herald-Tribune |location=Florida |agency=Associated Press |title=Blyleven, Thompson happy about trade to Rangers |date=June 3, 1976 |page=5E }}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=22EgAAAAIBAJ&sjid=1mUFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1750%2C320356 |newspaper=Lewiston Daily Sun |location=Maine|agency=Associated Press |last=Kallestad |first=Brent |title=Blyleven traded to Texas in six-player transaction |date=June 2, 1976 |page=20 }}

Leukemia

Following a routine pre-season physical the day before his 26th birthday, Thompson was called in for additional tests and diagnosed with granulocytic leukemia in early February 1973,{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-6pVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=JOEDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6714%2C5038853 |newspaper=Eugene Register-Guard |location=Oregon |agency=Associated Press |title=Despite his leukemia, shortstop looks ahead |date=February 22, 1973 |page=4C}}{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=kCFOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=pO0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=2535%2C4622574 |newspaper=Spokesman-Review |location=Spokane, Washington |agency=Associated Press |title=Baseballer dies at 29 |date=December 11, 1976 |page=18 }} but he continued his major league career for the next four seasons. He was awarded baseball's annual Hutch Award in Seattle following the 1974 season,{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=kh5UAAAAIBAJ&sjid=8owDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3729%2C3706101 |newspaper=Boca Raton News |location=Florida |agency=UPI |title=Thompson gets 'Hutch' award |date=November 27, 1974 |page=1B }}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=BMYsAAAAIBAJ&sjid=FhMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3462%2C2345522 |newspaper=Wilmington Morning Star |location=North Carolina |agency=UPI |title=Thompson dies of leukemia |date=Dec 11, 1976 |page=14 }} and batted .270 in 1975, leading all American League shortstops.

Thompson appeared in 98 games in 1976, and went 1-for-3 in his final start for the Rangers on September 29 in Minnesota's Metropolitan Stadium. In his final game on October 2, less than ten weeks before his death, he was used as a pinch hitter.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/pi/gl.cgi?n1=thompda01&t=b |publisher=Baseball Reference |title=Danny Thompson |access-date=September 8, 2014 }}

Death

Admitted to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, on November 16, 1976, Thompson underwent spleen surgery on December 3, and died a week later on December 10, 1976, from complications in Rochester's St. Mary's Hospital.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wu5XAAAAIBAJ&sjid=JOgDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6714%2C4014519 |newspaper=Eugene Register-Guard |location=Oregon |agency=UPI |title=Danny Thompson: A manager's player |last=Richman |first=Milton |author-link=Milton Richman |date=December 14, 1976 |page=5B}} Thompson was 29, leaving behind a wife, Jo, and two young daughters, Tracy and Dana.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=NkBUAAAAIBAJ&sjid=V40DAAAAIBAJ&pg=3699%2C8417383 |newspaper=Boca Raton News |location=Florida |title=Danny Thompson and Larry Hisle found peace this Christmas |date=December 29, 1976 |page=11A }} His funeral was attended by hundreds at the high school gymnasium in Burlington, Oklahoma, and he was buried nearby at the cemetery in his hometown of Capron.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=YflHAAAAIBAJ&sjid=AgANAAAAIBAJ&pg=5052%2C2145595 |newspaper=The Morning Record |location=Meriden, Connecticut |title=Dan Thompson: 'never too busy' |agency=Associated Press |date=December 14, 1976 |page=8 }}

Legacy

During the 1977 season, members of the Texas Rangers wore a black armband with the No. 4 on their left uniform sleeve. Examples of this tribute can be seen in the 1978 Topps baseball card set.{{cite news |url=http://rangerscards.blogspot.com/2014/06/1978-topps-kurt-bevacqua_24.html |publisher=Rangers Cards |title=Kurt Bevacqua |date=1978 |agency=(Topps) |access-date=June 30, 2016}}

An annual golf tournament honoring Thompson is held in August in Sun Valley, Idaho. The Danny Thompson Memorial Golf Tournament, benefiting leukemia and cancer research, was launched in 1977 by the Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew (1936–2011), a former teammate with the Twins;{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=43chAAAAIBAJ&sjid=mokFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3789%2C2028718 |newspaper=Schenectady Gazette |location=New York |agency=Associated Press |title=Killebrew not upset over star deletion |date=July 25, 1972 |page=16}} and Ralph Harding (1929–2006), a former Idaho congressman.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=mKcqAAAAIBAJ&sjid=GFwEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4517%2C3323808 |newspaper=Deseret News |location=Salt Lake City, Utah |agency=Associated Press |title=Killebrew plans 2nd charity golf |date=July 13, 1978 |page=B13}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=7PdLAAAAIBAJ&sjid=vu4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=4896%2C1045944 |newspaper=Spokesman-Review |location=Spokane, Washington |agency=Associated Press |title=Harmon Killebrew sponsors tourney |date=August 2, 1979 |page=26 }}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=niJTAAAAIBAJ&sjid=JYMDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6576%2C1679257 |newspaper=Deseret News |location=Salt Lake City, Utah |agency=Associated Press |title=Still hitting 'em straight - sometimes |last=Benson |first=Lee |date=August 22, 1980 |page=4B}} The first edition included former President Gerald Ford, Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill, and Hall of Fame slugger Mickey Mantle.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=AS8PAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ZoUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3412%2C4218455 |newspaper=Victoria Advocate |location=Texas |agency=Associated Press |title=Ford plays best golf round ever |date=August 21, 1977 |page=3C }}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=k2VTAAAAIBAJ&sjid=nYUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6905%2C5275887 |newspaper=Deseret News |location=Salt Lake City, Utah |last=Miller |first=Hack |title=Ford takes a payoff|date=August 20, 1977 |page=6A }}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=9flLAAAAIBAJ&sjid=8PgDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2399%2C23318 |newspaper=Spokane Daily Chronicle |location=Washington |agency=(letter) |last1=Killebrew |first1=Harmon |last2=Harding |first2=Ralph |title=Charity golfers drawing thanks |date=September 1, 1977 |page=4 }} It has donated over $15.6 million since its inception. Killebrew disclosed his esophageal cancer in late 2010 and died five months later at age 74.{{cite web |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/harmon-killebrew-in-final-days-of-cancer-battle/ |work=CBS News |title=Harmon Killebrew in final days of cancer battle |date=May 13, 2011 |access-date=June 30, 2016}}{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/news/story?id=6540158 |work=ESPN |title=Harmon Killebrew ends cancer fight |date=May 13, 2011 |access-date=June 30, 2016}}{{cite news |url=http://m.mlb.com/news/article/19011444/ |publisher=Major League Baseball |title=Twins legend, Hall of Famer Killebrew dies |date=May 17, 2011 |access-date=June 30, 2016 |archive-date=August 14, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160814023352/http://m.mlb.com/news/article/19011444/ |url-status=dead }}{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2011-may-18-la-me-harmon-killebrew-20110518-story.html |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |last=Thursby |first=Keith |agency=(obituary)|title=Harmon Killebrew dies at 74; Hall of Famer was one of baseball's premier home-run hitters |date=May 18, 2011 |access-date=June 30, 2016}} Following Killebrew's death, the event was renamed the "Killebrew-Thompson Memorial Golf Tournament" (KTM), with events in Idaho and Minnesota.{{cite web |url=http://www.killebrewthompsonmemorial.com/ |publisher=Killebrew-Thompson Memorial |title=About |access-date=June 30, 2016}}