Joseph Henry “Joe” Garagiola, Sr.

B: Feb 12, 1926, St. Louis, MO

A catcher turned baseball broadcaster announcer and television host, Joe won the Ford Frick Award for outstanding broadcasting accomplishments. Joe was just a few doors down from his childhood friend and competitor, Yogi Berra. Pro scouts “incorrectly” rated Garagiola as the better baseball prospect. Garagiola turned to broadcasting following his retirement, first calling Cardinals games and then on NBC Television and Radio. He later became a talk show host and advocate against players using spit tobacco. Garagiola’s son, Joe Jr., was the general manager for the Arizona Diamondbacks and is now senior vice president of baseball operations for Major League Baseball.

AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG
1872	198	481	42	255	.257