Ed Mickelson, one of the oldest surviving former Major League Baseball players and a figure tied to a unique piece of St. Louis sports history, passed away at 98. His brief but memorable MLB career spanned 18 games between 1950 and 1957, playing for the St. Louis Cardinals, St. Louis Browns, and Chicago Cubs. Most notably, Mickelson holds a place in history for driving in the final run for the St. Louis Browns in their last game on September 27, 1953, before the team relocated to Baltimore and became the Orioles.
A St. Louis native, Mickelson was a standout athlete at University City High, excelling in baseball, basketball, and football. His talent earned him a basketball scholarship to the University of Tennessee, but he returned to Missouri due to homesickness, continuing his athletic career at Washington University in St. Louis. There, he shone in both football and basketball.
Mickelson’s life took a significant turn when he joined the Army Air Corps in 1944, serving 18 months during World War II. At the time of his passing, he was among the last three living MLB players who had served in the war. After his military service, he played basketball at Oklahoma A&M under coach Hank Iba while on a baseball scholarship, before signing with the Cardinals in 1947. Remarkably, Mickelson had only played about 30 baseball games—split evenly between high school and college—before going pro.
His MLB debut came in 1950, where he notched a single off the legendary Warren Spahn. However, with Cardinals icon Stan Musial dominating at first base, Mickelson’s opportunities were limited. In 1953, he joined the St. Louis Browns and, during their final game, delivered an RBI single that scored Johnny Groth, marking the last run in the team’s history.
When the Browns moved to Baltimore, Mickelson stayed behind, spending the next few years dominating in the minor leagues. After hitting .300 for three consecutive seasons with the Portland Beavers in the Pacific Coast League, the Chicago Cubs brought him up for six games in 1957. Unfortunately, he went hitless in 12 at-bats, quietly concluding his MLB career in his home state of Illinois.
Beyond baseball, Mickelson’s legacy lives on through his family—wife Mary, children Eric and Julie, eight grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren—and his 2007 memoir, A Memoir of a Minor League Baseball All-Star. The book captures his resilience through war, injuries, and the challenges of a long minor league career, offering a glimpse into a life shaped by dedication and love for the game.
