Stan Musial Awarded Medal of Freedom

Stan Musial has been awarded with the Medal of Freedom by President Obama iIn a ceremony in the White House on Tuesday.

In the world of baseball, few lived up to that praise as much as Stan Musial. As a St. Louis Cardinal, Musial was a three-time World Champion and appeared in 24 All-Star Games. He retired after the 1963 season with a .331 batting average and 475 home runs. Of his 3,630 career hits, exactly half came at home and half on the road. This is in spite of the years he took off during World War II to serve in the Navy.

Musial, 90, wore his familiar Cardinals-red sports coat during the ceremony shown on St. Louis television and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch website. He beamed as the president placed the medal around his neck.

Musial, a native of Donora, Pa., was signed by the Cardinals as a pitcher but converted to the outfield after a shoulder injury in the minor leagues. It worked out well.

He earned the nickname “The Man” in 1946, when Post-Dispatch sportswriter Bob Broeg heard fans at Ebbets Field welcome Musial to the plate by saying, “Here comes the man.”

The Medal of Freedom is the highest honor awarded to civilians. See more of the 15 recipients here.