Danny Leon Thompson (February 1, 1947 – December 10, 1976) was an American college and professional baseball player, a major leagueshortstop from 1970 to 1976. Diagnosed with leukemia in early 1973 at age 26, he played four more seasons in the majors and died ten weeks after his final game.
Thompson broke into the majors with the Twins in 1970 and had his first full season in 1972;[3] he played for them until June 1976, when he and pitcher Bert Blyleven were traded to the Texas Rangers for four others in a six-player deal.[4][5]
Leukemia
Following a routine pre-season physical the day before his 26th birthday, Thompson was called in for additional tests and diagnosed with granulocyticleukemia in early February 1973,[6][7] but he continued his major league career for the next four seasons. He was awarded baseball's annual Hutch Award in Seattle following the 1974 season,[8][9] and batted .270 in 1975, leading all American League shortstops.
Thompson appeared in 98 games in 1976, and went 1-for-3 in his final start for the Rangers on September 29, appropriately at shortstop in Minnesota's Metropolitan Stadium. In his final game on October 2, less than ten weeks before his death, he was used as a pinch hitter.[10]
Death
Admitted to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, on November 16, 1976, Thompson underwent spleen surgery on December 3, and died a week later on December 10, 1976, from complications in Rochester's St. Mary's Hospital.[7][9][11] Thompson was 29, leaving behind a wife, Jo, and two young daughters, Tracy and Dana.[2][12] His funeral was attended by hundreds at the high school gymnasium in Burlington, Oklahoma, and he was buried nearby at the cemetery in his hometown of Capron.[2][13]
Legacy
During the 1977 season, members of the Texas Rangers wore a black armband with the No. 4 on their left uniform sleeve. Examples of this tribute can be seen in the 1978Topps baseball card set.[14]
