ST. LOUIS — Cardinals legend Red Schoendienst has died at the age of 95, a family member confirmed.
Next to Stan Musial, there is likely no one who more exemplified Cardinals baseball than Albert Fred "Red" Schoendienst. He was married to the late Mary Eileen O’Reilly Schoendienst for 53 years. She passed away in December of 1999. He is survived by his four children; Colleen, Cathleen, Eileen and Kevin, eight living grandchildren (he had 10 total grandchildren) and seven great-grandchildren.
The Hall of Fame player had humble beginnings, hitchhiking to Sportsman's Park for a tryout.
"I slept on a park bench across from Union Station the first night after I came in with the milk truck," he said in a 1989 interview with 5 On Your Side.He debuted as an outfielder in 1945 but eventually found his home at second base. He was an All-Star for the World Champion Cardinals in his second year with the team and was a mainstay for the team almost every year since. He spent 15 of his 21 big league seasons with the Cardinals, but his Cardinals career didn't end with his time as a player.
VIDEO: Fan's remember Red
Just two years after hanging it up as a player, he took over as manager. Just two years later, he led his team to 101 wins and a World Series title in 1967 and took the team all the way to Game 7 of the World Series the next year before falling to the Detroit Tigers.
His 10 all-star selections, two World Series Championships, more than 2400 career hits and more than 1,000 managerial wins were good enough to earn him election into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989. He was the oldest Hall of Famer at the time of his death.
VIDEO: HOF Rick Hummel on his life-long friend Red
In the years since he retired as manager, he has been a coach, front office member and ambassador for the team. He remained a special assistant to the general manager, and his keen eye for talent was a fixture at Spring Training and at Busch Stadium.
His memory will live on outside Busch Stadium where his statue resides alongside the other Cardinals greats.
The Cardinals have invited fans to pay tribute to Red and learn more about his life and career and may also share their condolences at Cardinals.com/Red. Fans can also share their comments on social media at #LoveRed2.
No formal arrangements have been made at this time. We will provide that information when it becomes available.