Ryne Sandberg, Chicago Cubs Second Base Legend, Dies at 65

Ryne Sandberg has died. The baseball Hall of Famer, who spent most of his career with the Chicago Cubs playing second base, was 65. He later managed the Philadelphia Phillies.

Sandberg died on Monday, July 28, the Cubs and Major League Baseball announced.

"Ryne Sandberg was a hero to a generation of Chicago Cubs fans and will be remembered as one of the all-time greats in nearly 150 years of this historic franchise,” Cubs executive chairman Tom Ricketts said in a statement on behalf of the Cubs and Sandberg's family. “His dedication to and respect for the game, along with his unrelenting integrity, grit, hustle, and competitive fire were hallmarks of his career."

"He was immensely proud of his teammates and his role as a global ambassador of the game of baseball, but most of all, he was proud of Margaret, his children and his role as husband, father and grandfather," Ricketts continued.

Sandberg was born in Spokane, Wash., in 1959. He was named after Yankees relief pitcher Ryne Duren; his older brother Del was also named after a baseball player. Del was also Sandberg’s first coach. "It was kind of hard when he got a girlfriend in high school," Sandberg told PEOPLE in 1984. "I always would get mad because he would go out on a date and I wanted to play ball."

Sandberg was all-state in baseball and basketball at North Central High School and was all-American as a high school quarterback, with multiple offers from colleges. He opted not to attend college and stick with baseball after being drafted by the Phillies. "Football, I thought, would be a tough sport to make a living in," he said in 1984. "There is no minor league. You either make it to the NFL or you don't."

He made his MLB debut in 1981, as a shortstop, but the organization decided he wasn’t a good fit and traded him to the Cubs (who had hired the Phillies’ previous general manager who had drafted Sandberg) for the 1982 season. The Cubs initially wanted him to play in the outfield but eventually moved him to second base, where he shined. He won a Gold Glove (the league’s top defensive honor) in 1983. 

Sandberg broke out in the 1984 season. He batted .314 and led the National League in runs and triples. In one game — dubbed the Sandberg Game — he hit two home runs to propel the Cubs to a 12-11 victory over the rival St. Louis Cardinals. His manager, Jim Frey, told PEOPLE that year, "I think he is probably in the top four or five in baseball right now in all-round ability."

Sandberg helped lead the team to the National League's Eastern Division title, which was their first championship of any kind since 1945, though they lost the National League Championship Series. He was also named League MVP.

But for all his skill, Sandberg was soft-spoken and didn’t love the spotlight. His team nickname was “Gabby” because of how quiet he was. He told PEOPLE that when he joined the team, "I was a little scared and I didn't talk at all." Of the passionate Cubs fans, he said, "They really know the game. They boo and cheer when they are supposed to."

Sandberg was ultimately a nine-time Gold Glove winner, a 10-time All-Star and a seven-time Silver Slugger (the award for best offensive skill in a position). In 1990, he led the National League in home runs. In 1990, PEOPLE named him one of the world's 50 most beautiful people. 

In 1994, Sandberg struggled and announced his retirement mid-season. ''I am not the type of person who can be satisfied with anything less than my very best effort and my very top performance,” he said. But he returned to the Cubs for two more seasons, in 1996 and 1997. He ultimately retired with a .285 career batting average and 277 home runs, a record for a second baseman at the time. Sandberg’s final home game at the Cubs’ Wrigley Field was also the final home game for the team’s legendary announcer Harry Caray, who died that winter.

Sandberg was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005. Shortly after, the Cubs retired his number, making him the team's fourth player to receive that honor. The Cubs unveiled a statue in his honor in 2024. 

In 2007, Sandberg began working as a manager in the Cubs’ minor-league system. After he was not selected to manage the major-league club, he became a manager for the Phillies’ minor-league teams. In 2012, he was promoted to the third-base coach of the major-league team, and when their manager was fired during the 2013 season, he became the manager. He ultimately resigned in the middle of the 2015 season.

Sandberg was married to his first wife, Cindy, from 1979 to July 1995, when they divorced. They shared children Justin and Lindsey. In August 1995, he married his second wife, Margaret, and became step-father to her three children, BR, Adriane and Steven.

Like many Cubs fans, Sandberg was desperate for them to win the World Series, which they hadn’t done since 1908. “I think the Cubs fans are wearing thin on the ‘Lovable Losers’ title. … I think it’d be the biggest party ever for a winning team, and the party would be all over the world,” he said in a 2011 interview.

The Cubs finally won in 2016. That year, Sandberg had rejoined the team as an ambassador, and he also received a World Series ring.

In January 2024, Sandberg announced he was receiving treatment for prostate cancer. In May, he declared he was cancer-free. In December, he shared news that the cancer had recurred and he was receiving treatment again. “We will continue to be positive, strong, and fight to beat this,” he wrote on Instagram at the time.

Sandberg is survived by his wife and children.

Read the original article on People