Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum
Stan Musial's following extended throughout Cardinals Nation all the way to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. With Presidents Day this month, it's interesting to note that "The Man" met eleven U.S. presidents including Truman, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush (41), Clinton, Bush (43) and Obama. From serving as the director of President Johnson's Council on Physical Fitness to being awarded the Medal of Freedom by President Obama, it's clear that Musial has had an impact on the Oval Office.
Musial will always be remembered for what he gave to the fans of St. Louis -- in more ways than one. The original St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame had been located in Busch Stadium since 1968. In 1991, Musial made a significant donation of over 900 items of personal memorabilia prompting a renovation to the facility that changed it from all-sports to baseball. In anticipation of the franchise's centennial celebration that year, the new Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum opened on Feb. 3, 1992.
As we look back on the life of Musial, we at the Cardinals Museum thought it was fitting to feature his final game jersey, worn on Sept. 29, 1963. The home white Cardinals flannel was donated by Musial in 1990.
Here are the final words from Bob Costas' eulogy regarding that final at-bat:
"And as Stan settled into the box, Harry Caray said, 'Take a look, fans. Take a good, long look. Remember the swing and the stance. We won't see his like again.' Harry was right. We never have, and we never will."
