George Kernek death and obituary | cause of death
George Kernek, a former 1st baseman in MLB, passed away on August 14th at the age of 82. Kernek was signed to a pro baseball contract by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1961. He spent his entire career in the Cardinal organization and played in the Majors during parts of the 1965 and 1966 seasons. After hitting .295 with 17 home runs and 86 RBI’s in the Triple-A International League in 1965, Kernek was recalled in September; he got into ten games and batted .290 in 31 at bats with four extra-base hits.
That winter, the Redbirds traded their veteran All-Star first baseman, Bill White, to the Philadelphia Phillies, opening up his position for competition among younger players like the 26-year-old Kernek. He was St. Louis’ Opening Day first baseman (against White’s Phillies) and went on to start 14 more games for the Cardinals through May 1. But despite two three-hit games, he was hitting only .239 with one extra-base hit when he lost his starting job. A week later, future Baseball Hall of Fame first baseman Orlando Cepeda was acquired from the San Francisco Giants. That same day, Kernek struck out as a pinch hitter against the Giants’ Lindy McDaniel. It was last MLB appearance.He was also an all-state basketball player that same year.
The following is an excerpt from his online obituary. George spent his childhood growing up in Holdenville, playing sports. His athletic ability became apparent very early on. During his sixth grade year in 1950, he jumped higher than his actual height, setting the high jump record for the Little Olympics. That record still holds to this day.
During his high school years, George lettered in three different sports; basketball, baseball, and track.
He was the first Wolverine basketball player to dunk a basketball during a game in 1958.
After high school, he attended The University of Oklahoma on a basketball scholarship where he was a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity. During that time, he earned two letters in basketball and two in baseball.
At the end of his junior year at OU in 1961, he signed a contract with the Saint Louis Cardinals.
He went on to graduate from OU in 1965 and served his country as a member of the Army National Guard.
George retired from the Cardinals in 1971, and became a Farm Bureau insurance agent in Lindsay, Okla.
In 1979 he moved to Purcell, Okla., to work for the National Insurance Agency, where he then went on to start the Kernek Insurance Agency, from which he retired in 2009.
Condolences to his family and friends and may he Rest in Peace.
