Shannon was born and raised in St. Louis and went to the University of Missouri. He was an outstanding athlete and almost pursued a career in football. Frank Broyles, his football coach at Mizzou, said had Shannon stayed in school, he might have had a shot at winning the Heisman Trophy.

But he decided to stick with baseball. Since there was no baseball draft back then, Shannon signed with the Cardinals as a free agent in 1958.

He made the Major League club in 1962 and by 1964 he was the team’s starting right fielder. But when the Cardinals acquired Roger Maris in 1967, Shannon switched to third base.

He was part of the Cardinals championship teams in 1964 and 1967 and also played on the 1968 club that lost to the Detroit Tigers in seven games. Shannon hit a home run in each of those Fall Classics, but one was more memorable than the others.

“I hit a home run off Whitey Ford in the first game of the 1964 World Series,” Shannon recalled. “That was my first World Series game in my hometown. That was quite a thrill.”

Shannon has the distinction of hitting the last home run in old Sportsman’s Park in 1966 and then belting the first homer in the first Busch Stadium the following season. He also broadcast the first game at the current Busch Stadium.

Unfortunately, Shannon’s career was cut short by a severe kidney disease. It forced him to retire in 1970.

But after working for the Cardinals promotional staff for one year, Shannon joined the radio crew in 1972. Initially, that included Bob Starr, Mike Walden and Hall of Fame broadcaster Jack Buck.

“I quickly learned to keep my ears open and my mouth shut,” Shannon said with a laugh. “I had a lot to learn, but it was made a lot easier working with a guy like Jack Buck. He was simply the best.”

For 30 years, Cardinal fans were accustomed to hearing the familiar voices of Buck and Shannon for every game. After Buck passed away in 2002, Shannon became the “Voice of the Cardinals.”

During all those years, fans learned to cheer, laugh and, at times, scratch their heads over some of the comments and explanations that came from Shannon, who has the nickname “Moon Man.”

He helped call the Cardinals World Series championships in 1982, 2006 and 2011.

During the past 50 years, Shannon has called many memorable moments. For example -- Glenn Brummer stealing home in 1982; Fernando Tatis belting two grand slams in the same inning against the Dodgers in 1999; and the Game 6, 11th-inning walk-off homer by David Freese in the 2011 World Series – just to name a few.

Shannon also called the 62nd and 70th home runs of Mark McGwire during that magical 1998 season. It was on McGwire’s record-breaking 62nd round-tripper that Shannon first let loose with what became his signature home run call – “There’s a long one. Get up baby! Get up! Get up! Oh yeah!”

During the 2021 season – his 50th in the broadcast booth – Shannon will call 50 home games.

During his years as a player and a broadcaster, he has witnessed a lot of changes in the game.

“The biggest change is how everybody now swings for the home run,” noted Shannon, who was voted into the Cardinals Hall of Fame in 2014. “Home runs have gone up, but strike outs have gone up a lot, too. There’s no such thing as small ball any more. Everything is about the long ball.

“But for more than 100 years, winning championships has been about pitching and defense,” Shannon added. “And that will be the same for the next 100 years. If teams don’t concentrate on those two things, they don’t really want to win. That’s how important pitching and defense is in this game.”

Shannon has had that rare opportunity to be a part of the game, both on the field and in the radio booth.

“Nothing replaces being a player. Nothing,” he admitted. “But the second best thing is being able to broadcast baseball. The biggest compliment I receive is from the visually impaired who bring their radio to the game. They tell me they know what’s going on in the game when they listen to me. That’s when I know I’ve done my job.

“I’ve had a great life and it has been my honor to be part of this organization,” Shannon added. “And even though I’ll be retiring, I’ll always be close to the game.”