Rusty Staub, the beloved New York Mets icon, died on Thursday after battling various health issues over the years, CBS News reported. He was 73.
The six-time All-Star’s career spanned 23 years and also included stints with the Montreal Expos, Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros and Texas Rangers.
It all began at Jesuit High School in New Orleans, where Staub played at first alongside his brother, Chuck Staub, at center field, according to The Society for American Baseball Research.
The brothers helped Jesuit win the 1960 American Legion national championship and the 1961 Louisiana State AAA championship and, as a result, scouts from over 16 teams were banging down Rusty Staub’s door in a desperate attempt to recruit him.
He finally decided on a $100,000 bonus from the new Houston Colt .45s, who were preparing for their inaugural season in 1962.
After six successful seasons, Rusty Staub moved on to the Montreal Expos then the Mets, where he starred in the 1973 World Series.
He later joined the Detroit Tigers, then made appearances with the Expos and Texas Rangers before returning to the Mets prior to the 1981 season, where he spent the five final seasons of his career, according to his biography.
In Between, Staub made several appearances on the National League All-Star team.
By the time he retired, Staub had slugged 292 home runs and batted .279 but his accomplishments were not limited to the baseball diamond.
During a 10-year stint with the Mets’ broadcasting team, Staub turned his efforts to humanitarian work.
In 1985 he established The Rusty Staub Foundation which raised millions for families of policemen, firefighters, emergency service, and port authority officers killed in the line of duty.
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