Wally Shannon

Walter Charles Shannon

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 178 lb.
• School Washington University in Saint Louis
• Debut July 9, 1959
• Final Game May 26, 1960
• Born January 23, 1933 in Cleveland, OH USA
• Died February 8, 1992 in Creve Coeur, MO USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Wally Shannon was no relation to former St. Louis Cardinals third baseman and long-time announcer Mike Shannon, but he was the son of the team's one-time supervisor of player personnel, Walter Shannon. Wally was a minor league infielder in the St. Louis organization for eight out of the ten seasons he spent in the minors (1951-1962).

Shannon spent two years (1953-1954) in the United States Military during the Korean War. He returned to become a steady .290s hitter for the Houston Buffaloes, Omaha Cardinals and Rochester Red Wings before coming up to the big leagues. With St. Louis in 1959, he made his debut and hit a respectable .284 in 47 games. But Wally, who attended the Washington University in Saint Louis, only played briefly in 1960, hitting .174, to finish his major league run at .263 in 65 games. In his ten-year minor league run, he hit for a .282 average with 67 home runs while appearing in 1,100 games.

After his active baseball playing career ended, he became the owner of Shannon and Associates, a brokerage firm. He also scouted for the Mets in 1965.

Shannon died on February 8, 1992, at the age of 59 in Creve Coeur, MO.

Sources

Baseball Players of the 1950s

Related Sites

• BR Minors page
• Baseball America:Executive Database