Mantle, Mickey Charles

1931 - Born on the 20th of October in Spavinaw, Oklahoma.

1948 - Yankees' scout Tom Greenwade came to Baxter Springs to watch Mickey's teammate, third baseman

Billy Johnson, in a Whiz Kids game.

1949 - Signed to a minor league contract with the Yankees Class D team in Independence, Kansas.

1951-1968 - First baseman and outfielder for New York Yankees.

        - Married Merlyn Johnson in their hometown of Commerce, Oklahoma; they had four sons.

1952-1955 - Became the regular right fielder (playing only a few games at shortstop and third base.

        - Moved to center field replacing Joe DiMaggio, who retired at the end of the 1951 season.

1956 - Mantle won the Hickok Belt as top professional athlete of the year.

1960 - On 10th of September he hit a ball that cleared the right-field roof at Tiger Stadium in Detroit and,

based on where it was found, was estimated years later by historian Mark Gallagher to have traveled 643 feet (196 m).

1961 - Became the highest-paid baseball player by signing a $75,000 contract.

1969 - Announced his retirement on 1st of March.

Played his entire 18-year major-league professional career for the New York Yankees

1974 - Inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

1995 - Mickey Mantle died on 13th of August at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas.

• "I had it all, and I blew it."(shortly before dying from cancer and other complications of alcoholism)"
• "If I knew I'd live this long, I woulda taken better care of myself."