Joe Garagiola, the legendary baseball broadcaster who educated players about the dangers of tobacco, died on March 23 at age 90.
Garagiola was a catcher with the St. Louis Cardinals when they won the 1946 World Series, but he is mostly known for his broadcasting career. He spent 30 years broadcasting for NBC, and he narrated multiple All-Star Games and World Series.
Garagiola was an advocate against smokeless tobacco, including having been the former chair of the National Spit Tobacco Education Program (NSTEP). He received the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry's Outstanding Public Advocacy Award. He has also won the Baseball Hall of Fame's Ford C. Frick Award and Buck O'Neill Lifetime Achievement Award.
"All of us at Major League Baseball are deeply saddened by the loss of Joe Garagiola," stated Commissioner Rob Manfred. "He served baseball as a leader in the fight against smokeless tobacco, working with NSTEP and traveling to each Major League camp during spring training to educate players about the dangers of tobacco and oral cancer."
