Willie McGee taught former Cardinal All-Star humility and led by example

For history buffs, St. Louis baseball is a treasure trove of timeless stories and historical prominence. Willie McGee, a Cardinal legend, is a huge part of that history. 

McGee played for the Redbirds from 1982 to 1990, then came back to finish his career as a Cardinal from 1996 to 1999. 

The fleet-footed McGee finished his career with 34.3 bWAR, 2254 hits, 352 swipes, a .295 average, and a 100 OPS+. 

As for the trophy case, Willie’s wall probably looks like a jeweler's. Between an MVP (1985), three Gold Gloves, a Silver Slugger, two batting titles, four All-Star selections, and a World Series ring (1982), McGee’s individual performance is quite the collection. 

Still, the greatest thing about Willie wasn’t that every time he touched first base he was destined for the next 90 feet, or that he led multiple Cardinal rosters to the playoffs; it was his humility and the way he characterized Cardinal baseball. 

In a recent story retold by Royce Clayton, Cardinal fans got an inside look at a franchise legend. 

Royce Clayton tells Cardinal fans just how good of a guy Willie McGee was 

Clayton, an All-Star for St. Louis in 1997, spent parts of three seasons in St. Louis. 

In a recent appearance on All The Smoke with Matt Barnes, he reminisced about McGee's career twilight and how influential he was for the Cardinals. 

“Willie McGee, he seemed cool. What was Willie McGee like?” Barnes asked with a grin. 

“The best man,” Clayton said–with no hesitation. “So humble. I learned humility from Willie McGee.” 

“In my first Spring Training, I had a gang of stuff in the locker room. Stuff from everybody. For some reason, I think Willie was in between contracts, so he didn’t have anything. The clubhouse guy, Murph, was apologizing, ‘Willie, I’ll get you whatever!’ [Willie] was like, ‘Man, don’t worry about it, Murph.’” 

“Willie went to Big Five and got gloves, batting gloves, and shoes. Willie didn’t care, bro. I’m sure the people at Big Five were like, ‘What the heck is he doing here?’ He was in there buying everything, man. He just didn’t want to inconvenience or put anyone out.” 

“It’s his words of wisdom. I always had good things to say. And, you know, when you were struggling, that’s who you went to: me and D-Lou. We huddled up under him all the time, just talking the game.” 

McGee’s leadership aided Clayon in his only career All-Star appearance and set the stage for countless Red Jacket careers. 

In modern Cardinal baseball, veteran leadership has been hard to come by. You know why? Because they don’t make ‘em like Willie anymore. 

McGee played baseball for the men at his side, stole bases for the guy in the box, slid hard for the manager at the helm, and showed up for the fans who funded his dream. 

Baseball has always been a game synonymous with storytelling. Clayton’s story adds another entry into a long list of Cardinal memories, in a red booklet, with enough written juice to fuel generations of baseball fandom. 

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