Baseball legend Rusty Staub died at age 73 on Thursday, which happened to be Opening Day for Major League Baseball. While Staub had a phenomenal career that many felt was deserving of the Hall of Fame, it is evident that what he did off the field made just as big of an impact as his 2,716 career hits.
As Bill Madden of the New York Daily News noted in his column about Staub, the former New York Met’s Rusty Staub foundation has distributed tens of millions of dollars to the families of New York area police and fire fighters killed in the line of duty. He also helped serve more than 9,000,000 meals at food pantries through New York over the last decade in partnership with Catholic Charities.
Staub played for more than 20 years, made six All-Star appearances and is the only MLB player in history to rack up 500 hits with four different teams. He’s also one of only four players to hit a home run before his 20th birthday and after his 40th. But when you combed through the tributes to Staub on Thursday, it became evident that his impact reached well beyond the baseball diamond.
This was one of the finest people I ever met. And fitting for a generous, larger-than-life figure, Rusty Staub died on board a transatlantic flight three years ago, came back, and loved nothing better than telling -and laughing about- the story. I only wish he could repeat it. https://t.co/B7vXGDpsYS
— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) March 29, 2018
I had tears in my eyes this morning learning that former #Expos star Rusty Staub has died at age 73. "Le Grand Orange" was my first-ever sports hero as a young boy growing up in Montreal. My column: https://t.co/EHuMkATLH0
— Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) March 29, 2018
Opening Day begins on a terribly sad note as beloved former Mets player and team ambassador Rusty Staub has passed, a person close to him confirms. A Met for nine seasons and later a frequent presence at Shea Stadium and Citi Field, Staub was 73.
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) March 29, 2018
The tributes will begin to come from everywhere now for Rusty Staub. He was so much more than one of the most popular Mets of all time. He was kind and decent and wonderful company and so generous with his time and charities you lose track of them all. A distinguished gentleman.
— Mike Lupica (@MikeLupica) March 29, 2018
Rusty Staub was the first baseball player in Canada so many of us cared about. The first who mattered across the country. He was the Montreal Expos of our youth. RIP Le Grand Orange.
— steve simmons (@simmonssteve) March 29, 2018
Rusty Staub was a wonderful man, a kind man and a very good player. He had a fascinating career. Among his many distinctions, he hit a home run as a teenager and a home run as a 40-year old. R.I.P. Rusty.
— Tim Kurkjian (@Kurkjian_ESPN) March 29, 2018
Of the thousands of gracious acts in Rusty Staub’s life please know there was no bigger ally of the annual BBWAA Dinner. For those of us who helped put it together we could never say thanks enough. Best thoughts to his family. #RIP
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) March 29, 2018
Staub spent the last two months in the hospital after initially being admitted with pneumonia. He has had a number of health issues in recent years, including a massive heart attack in 2015. His cause of death was multiple organ failure.
