George David "Red" Munger (1918-1996)

    Red Munger was born on October 4, 1918 in Houston, Texas. The hard-throwing right hander was picked off the local sandlots by the Texas League’s Houston Buffs in March 1937, along with outfielder Gilbert Turner. The Buffs sent the youngster to New Iberia of the Evangeline League where he had an excellent rookie season, and split 1938 between New Iberia and Houston. He was traded twice, first as a pitcher for Springfield in 1939, and for the Sacramento Solons of the Pacific Coast League in 1940 and 1941. He made his major league debut with the St Louis Cardinals on May 1, 1943. He made 39 appearances for the Cardinals that year for a 9-5 record and 3.95 ERA. Red got off to an incredible start in 1944; as the all-star game approached he was 11-3 with a diminutive 1.34 ERA. The 6-foot 2-inch, 25-year-old was selected for the all-star game but on July 11, 1944 was selected for military service. He was sent to Jefferson Barracks in St Louis, before moving to Camp Roberts, California, where he quickly rose to squad leader. After 17 weeks at Camp Roberts, Munger was shipped to Fort Benning, Georgia. On April 14, 1945, he was commissioned a second lieutenant after graduating from Officers Candidate School and served at the base prison camp.

    In May 1945, Red opened the baseball season for the Third Student Training Regiment Rifles at Fort Benning with a three hit, 5 to 0 win, striking out 13. On June 4, he set an Infantry School League record by striking out 16 in a 4-0 victory over the Columbus Foxes. It was his sixth win and fourth shutout of the season, allowing only one earned run in 58 and one-third innings. In September he struck out a further 15 and slammed a 375-foot home run in a 3-0 win over the Academy Regiment Profs. He finished the season with 14 wins and two losses. In late September 1945, while on leave from Fort Benning, Munger pitched for Finger Furniture in the Houston Post semi-pro tournament. Towards the end of 1945, Munger was sent overseas to Europe and stationed in Heidelberg, Germany for seven months. In late July 1946, he returned to the United States. His return to the Cardinals was eagerly awaited but after two years away from the major leagues he lacked the stamina and control that he seemed to possess in abundance before military service. He made two appearances to finish out the 1946 season, with a 2-2 won-loss record and 3.33 ERA. He was back in fine form in 1947, winning 16 games (including six shutouts) against just five losses, but that was to be his best season. Munger did manage 15 wins in 1949, but by 1952 it was all over apart from a brief comeback with the Pirates in 1956. After he retired as a player, Munger worked as a minor league pitching coach and worked as a private investigator with the Pinkerton Detective Agency in Houston during the off-season. Red Munger passed away in his hometown of Houston on July 23, 1996. Source

Section 31
Forest Park Lawndale Cemetery
Houston

COORDINATES

29° 42.722, -095° 18.507