Vern Rapp, former Cardinals manager and the man who man who made Al Hrabosky shave his famous facial hair, died Thursday. He was 87.
The coroner's office of Adams and Broomfield County in Colorado confirmed Rapp's death but declined to give the cause. Immediate attempts to reach Rapp's family on Thursday were unsuccessful. The Denver Post reported in 2008 that Rapp lived about 90 miles outside of Denver.
Rapp, who was born in St. Louis in May 1928 and attended Cleveland High School, signed his first playing contract with the Cardinals in 1945.
"I signed for $100 a month, but I was young and excited," he told the Denver Post in 2008.