Today, Cardinal Nation lost one of its icons.  George Kissell, a man known as "The Professor," died this morning in Florida as a result of an automobile accident.  Kissell, 88, dedicated his life to the Cardinals, spending nearly seven decades wearing the Birds on Bat.  He appeared at spring training 68 of the past 69 years, teaching and inspiring countless Redbirds along the way.  In his article over this topic, Derrick Goold notes that Kissell was forced to cut back on his role over the past few years due to his wife's health problems, however he still made his appearances, working with young players on various aspects of the game. 

Some other Kissell tidbits:

• He was on Tony La Russa's staff for the 2005 All-Star Game in Detroit.
• He won the King of Baseball Award in 1993 for his contributions to minor league baseball.
• He is commemorated with a plaque in Jupiter, which was unveiled in 2005.
• He was a mentor to Sparky Anderson, Tony La Russa, and Joe Torre, men with thousands of combined wins and more than a handful of World Series rings.
• He is credited with turning Ken Boyer into an MVP award-winning 3rd baseman

The list goes on and on...I don't have the time, nor does anyone, to fully list what this man has meant to the St. Louis Cardinals organization.

Kissell's passing is a great tragedy, one that I am sure will be covered more eloquently by others in the coming days, probably on this very blog.  However, as a lifelong Cardinals fan, I feel greatly saddened by this loss and felt I had to express my sadness to a group of people who would understand.

R.I.P. George Kissell...you will be missed by this fan of 33 years. 

Sources: Derrick Goold, The AP