a black armband for ken boyer

ken boyer spent the vast majority of his big league career with the saint louis cardinals.  he won the 1964 nl mvp award while with the cards, and helped them win the world series that year as well.  he also spent time with the mets, white sox, and dodgers, but returned to the cardinals following his retirement as a player to become a minor league manager, big league coach and eventually, in 1978, the team's manager.  although he fired from that position just 51 games into the 1980 season, boyer was planning to return to the organization as a minor league manager for the 1981 season before being sidetracked by a diagnosis of cancer.

boyer passed away on september 7, 1982, just as the cardinals were making a push for the national league east title.  the team added a black armband to their left sleeves for the remainder of the season and the postseason, as they were able to win the east, the national league pennant, and the world series.  the armband is visible on this 1983 donruss action all-stars card of bruce sutter

the 1982 cardinal uniform is sometimes used for turn back the clock nights in saint louis, and with the uniform comes the armband.  here's a 2013 topps daniel descalso walmart blue border card

that shows the now 30-plus year old uniform and the armband.  so, boyer is memorialized every so often.  not that he has been forgotten - the team has also retired boyer's number 14 and inducted him into their hall of fame.