Outfielder for four major league baseball teams, 1957-1968. In 1961, set the record for most home runs in a season (61).
Roger Maris was born on September 10, 1934, in Hibbing, Minnesota. His parents, Al and Ruth Maris, were both of French-Canadian descent. He had four brothers and sisters. His father worked in the iron mines and later as a bartender. His mother was a homemaker. Maris was a good student and an avid sports fan. He played baseball and basketball in high school. After graduation, he attended the University of Oklahoma on a baseball scholarship.
Maris began his professional career with the Cleveland Indians in 1957. He was traded to the New York Yankees in 1960. He quickly became one of the team’s best players. In 1961, he set a new record for home runs in a season, hitting 61. The record had been held by Babe Ruth for 34 years. Maris was named the American League’s Most Valuable Player. He retired from baseball in 1968.
Maris was married three times. His first marriage, to Patricia Palmer, ended in divorce. He married his second wife, Sharon Yawkey, in 1967. They had two children together. The couple divorced in 1999. Maris married his third wife, Diane O’Keefe, in 2000.
Maris died of cancer on December 14, 1985, at the age of 51.
General Info
Full Name
Roger Maris
Died
December 14, 1985, Houston, Texas, United States
Height
1.82 m
Profession
Baseball player
Education
Shanley High School
Nationality
American
Family
Spouse
Patricia A. Maris
Children
Randy Maris, Roger E. Maris Jr., Kevin J. Maris, Richard Maris, Susan A. Maris, Sandra Maris
Parents
Rudolph Maras, Corrine Perkovich
Siblings
Rudy Maris
Accomplishments
Awards
American League Most Valuable Player Award, Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year
Roger Maris is honored by his hometown of Fargo North Dakota Where the Roger Maris Celebrity Golf Tourney is Held Every June 23 and 24
Also Fargo Hold the prestigious Roger Maris Museum in the West Acres Mall.
3
Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume One, 1981-1985, pages 545-547. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1998.
4
Appears in the novel "That Must Be Yoshino."
5
Never lived as the sole single season home run champion. In 1991, Major League Baseball commissioner Fay Vincent removed the controversial asterisk from his single season home run record (61 in 1961), making him the home run champion. The record has since been broken by Mark McGwire (70 home runs in 1998) and Barry Bonds (73 home runs in 2001).
