Jim Umbricht - Aftermath and Legacy

Aftermath and Legacy

The day after Umbricht's death, the Colts decided to honor their teammate by wearing black armbands for the entire 1964 season. Umbricht's uniform number (32) was immediately retired by the team; it was the first time the club retired a uniform number, and only the ninth time in Major League history a number was retired. In the Colts' opening-day match against the Cincinnati Reds, starting pitcher Ken Johnson dedicated his victory in Umbright's memory. The Astros' MVP award was also named in his honor. The back of Umbricht's 1964 Topps baseball card was updated to mention his death shortly before printing. The retirement of Umbricht's number received some criticism, however. Former teammate Jimmy Wynn wrote in his autobiography that Walt Bond, a former Astros player who was African-American, died from leukemia while he was still active. His jersey number was not retired by the club after his death although he appeared in more games for the Astros than Umbricht. Journalists criticizing the retirement of numbers sometimes use Umbricht as an example of someone whose number was retired but who is unfamiliar to baseball fans.

Umbricht's death from melanoma helped alert the general public about the disease. Former Los Angeles Rams linebacker Jack Pardee credited Umbricht's battle with melanoma for saving his life in 1965. Pardee, a Pro Bowl linebacker, had been ignoring a mole on his armpit. After hearing of Umbricht's battle with cancer, and that his mole was similar to Umbricht's, he went to the team doctor, who diagnosed him with melanoma. Although Pardee's melanoma had also spread throughout his body, he made a complete recovery.