Ron Santo

Ron Santo, (Ronald Edward Santo), American baseball player (born Feb. 25, 1940, Seattle, Wash.—died Dec. 3, 2010, Arizona), was a fixture at third base (1960–73) for the Chicago Cubs professional baseball team and was rewarded with five Gold Glove Awards (1964–68) for his spectacular fielding; even after his playing career ended, he remained a beloved figure in the city and a passionate colour announcer (1990–2010) for the team on WGN radio. Santo, who was named an All-Star nine times, compiled a career record that included a .277 batting average, 342 home runs, 2,254 hits, and 1,331 runs batted in. After leaving the Cubs, he spent one lacklustre year with the Chicago White Sox. Santo also became a national spokesperson and ardent fund-raiser for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation to help find a cure for the disease that resulted in the amputation of both of his legs below the knee (2001 and 2002). He succumbed to bladder cancer in 2010. Two years later he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.

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