Danny Thompson (baseball)

For other people named Danny Thompson, see Daniel Thompson.

Danny Thompson
Shortstop
Born: February 1, 1947 Wichita, Kansas
Died: Rochester, Minnesota
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
June 25, 1970, for the Minnesota Twins
Last MLB appearance
October 2, 1976, for the Texas Rangers
MLB statistics
Batting average	.248
Home Runs	15
Runs batted in	194
Teams
Minnesota Twins (1970–1976) Texas Rangers (1976)

Danny Leon Thompson (February 1, 1947 – December 10, 1976) was a college and professional baseball player, a major league shortstop from 1970 to 1976.

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. Thompson was the Minnesota Twins' 1st pick in the secondary phase of the 1968 Amateur Draft.

He broke into the majors with the Twins in 1970 and had his first full season in 1972; he played for them until June 1976, when he and pitcher Bert Blyleven were traded to the Texas Rangers for four others in a six-player deal.

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, 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, 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, appropriately at shortstop 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.

Death

Thompson was admitted to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, on November 16, 1976. He underwent spleen surgery on December 3, and died a week later from complications in Rochester's St. Mary's Hospital. Thompson was just 29, leaving behind a wife, Jo, and two young daughters, Tracy and Dana. 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.

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.

An annual golf tournament honoring Thompson is held in late 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; and Ralph Harding (1929–2006), a former Idaho congressman. The tournament has donated over $8.6 million since its inception, and is now the "Killebrew-Thompson Memorial Golf Tournament." Killebrew was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in late 2010 and died five months later at age 74.

See also

• List of baseball players who died during their careers

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs
• Project Baseball 1976: Danny Thompson
• Killebrew-Thompson Memorial Golf Tournament - official site
• Idaho Mountain Express - Danny Thompson Golf Tournament - 17-Aug-2007
• Sun Valley Guide - Danny Thompson Golf Tournament - Summer 2003
• Danny Thompson at Find a Grave