It is a sobering thought for those of us “of a certain age” who lived through the 1969 Cubs season and fell in love with that team, only to have our dreams crushed when they faded late in the season, that so many of our childhood heroes are now gone.
Of the 41 players who wore the blue pinstripes in 1969, 18 of them are no longer with us. Ernie Banks and Ron Santo, sadly, didn’t make it to see their beloved team win the World Series in 2016. Jim Hickman, Willie Smith, Oscar Gamble, Gene Oliver, Manny Jimenez, Charley Smith, Randy Bobb, Bill Hands, Dick Selma, Ted Abernathy, Joe Niekro, Hank Aguirre, Ken Johnson, Joe Decker, Don Nottebart and Alec Distaso are the other 1969 Cubs who have passed away.