Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra

Born May 12, 1925 in St. Louis, MO

Died September 22, 2015

Early Life

Lawrence Peter Berra was born in St. Louis, Missouri. His parents were Pietro and Paulina Berra. He had 3 older brothers. He loved baseball growing up. He would get so distracted by his love for baseball that he had a hard time focusing on his school work and jobs. His friends called him "Yogi," because he looked like a yogi (someone who teaches yoga) which became his nickname.

Missouri Connection

He was born and grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. He was a big St. Louis Cardinals fan and tried out for the team in 1941. He also tried out for the St. Louis Browns, another baseball team in town.

Claim to Fame

Yogi Berra was a major league baseball player. He played for the New York Yankees winning several American League and World Series titles. He played in 14 World Series and won 10 of them. He was MVP for the American League in 1951, 1954, and 1955. He is also famous for his "Yogi-isms," which were his quotes about baseball and life. His most famous "Yogi'ism" was "You're never out of it till you're out of it" which over time became "It ain't over till it's over."

Later Life

Yogi married Carmen Short. They had 3 sons: Larry, Tim & Dale who were all athletes when they grew up. Yogi retired from baseball in 1963. After retirement, he was a coach and manager. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972. His number 8 jersey was retired by the New York Yankees.

Report abuse