35 Years Ago Today…We Remember The Captain, Thurman Munson
By Billy Brost
The next two seasons brought joy and heartache professionally for Thurman Munson. The Yankees had signed Reggie Jackson to the highest-paid contract in baseball at the time, while Munson had a clause in his contract stipulating that while he was on the Yankees’ roster, he would always remain the highest-paid Yankee. He never pushed the issue with owner George Steinbrenner, but teammates were well aware of the contract clause going unrecognized.
For Munson though, it was always about team and loyalty, and that loyalty paid off in both 1977 and 1978, as the Big Red Machine had been dismantled by the National League Champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Unfortunately for the Dodgers, the Yankees were stronger than ever, and in back to back seasons, the Yankees and Munson found themselves atop the baseball world, winning both season’s World Series titles, and bringing the Yankees’ franchise back to their full glory.