Jim Hannan, first president of MLB Players Alumni Association, dead at 85

Jim Hannan, a 10-year major league veteran who was the first president of the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association, has died, the organization announced Friday. He was 85.

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No cause of death was given.

Hannan was a pitcher for the Washington Senators for nine seasons, then split his final season between Washington, the Detroit Tigers and the Milwaukee Brewers. The right-hander had a 41-48 record from 1962 to 1971 with a 3.88 ERA, according to Baseball-Reference.com.

Hannan’s biggest contribution was to the MLBPAA, which was created in 1982. He was president of the organization from 1982 until 1986. Since 2022, the current president has been Hall of Famer Jim Thome, according to the Peoria Journal-Star.

According to the MLBPAA website, Hannan graduated from Notre Dame and wrote his master’s thesis on MLB’s pension plan. Information from the thesis was used by Marvin Miller, then the executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association, to familiarize himself with baseball’s pension plan.

“Our Alumni Association owes its existence and current status to Jim Hannan and his impact. Since 1982, Jim has championed former players and the MLBPAA will continue to advocate for our players and uphold the integrity of the game on behalf of Jim and our founding members,” Dan Foster, MLBPAA’s CEO, said in a statement. “The history of our organization is inseparable from Jim and his everlasting influence. His presence will be greatly missed, and our thoughts are with his wife Carol and children Coleen, Heather, Jimmy and Erin.”

Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, on Jan. 7, 1939, Hannan attended St. Peter’s Preparatory School in his hometown before attending Notre Dame.

The MLBPAA created the annual Jim Hannan Scholarship Award that supports athletes from the former player’s high school and college alma mater.

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