When Yaz Won The Triple Crown

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Oct 5, 2012

When Yaz Won The Triple Crown

Carl Yastrzemski

On Wednesday, Miguel Cabrera locked up baseball's first Triple Crown in 45 years with a .340 batting average, 44 home runs and 139 RBIs. So what was life like in 1967, when Red Sox slugger Carl Yastrzemski accomplished the rare Triple Crown feat? SI takes a look.

Vietnam War Protester

No discussion of 1967 is complete without mentioning the Vietnam War and the controversy surrounding it. In one of the most famous images of the time, Jane Rose Kasmir holds a flower up to soldiers during an anti-war demonstration outside the Pentagon.

Muhammad Ali Supporters

As Yaz chased the batting title, Muhammad Aii was at the center of controversy because of his refusal to fight in Vietnam. Ali, a Muslim, stated that the war was against his religious beliefs. He was arrested in June and his boxing license was suspended. He did, however, have his fair share of supporters who were against the war and agreed with Ali's objections. His case eventually went to the Supreme Court, where the guilty verdict was overturned.

Green Bay Packers

On the football field, the Super Bowl champion Packers -- led by QB Bart Starr and coach Vince Lombardi -- were trying to defend their championship. Less than four months after Yaz won the Triple Crown, Green Bay claimed its second title.

Steve Spurrier

As the Packers tried to defend their title, the 49ers welcomed rookie quarterback Steve Spurrier to the squad. Spurrier had been taken with the third overall pick after a successful career at Florida, where he threw for 4,848 passing yards in three seasons.

Bobby Knight and Mike Krzyzewski

Meanwhile at West Point, a young point guard named Krzyzewski was learning basketball from an up-and-coming coach named Bobby Knight.

Bonanza

The nation's No. 1 television show in 1967 was Bonanza (pictured) followed by The Red Skelton Hour, The Andy Griffith Show and The Lucy Show . The Carol Burnett Show also debuted in that year while Gilligan's Island aired its final episode.

The Graduate

While Bonanza ruled the small screen, the biggest movie of 1967 was The Graduate , starring Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft. Other notable movies included Bonnie and Clyde, Cool Hand Luke and The Dirty Dozen.

O.J. Simpson

In college football, Southern Cal running back O.J. Simpson led the nation with 1,451 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. He would beat the mark in 1968 with 1,709 yards on his way to winning the Heisman Trophy.

Mark Messier

In the NHL, Toronto was trying to defend its Stanley Cup championship and the best players in the league were Chicago's Stan Mikita and Bobby Hull, Boston's Bobby Orr and Detroit's Bobby Hull. Meanwhile, a six-year-old named Messier was winning his first of many trophies.

Kathrine Switzer

Syracuse student Kathrine Switzer became a household name when she competed in the all-male Boston Marathon under the name K. Switzer. Two miles into the race, an official tried to forcibly remove her from the competition. Luckily for Switzer, her 235-pound boyfriend was running with her and easily knocked the offical out of the way, allowing her to finish the race. She also competed in 1972, the first year women were officially allowed in the race.

The Beatles

Beatlemania was in full swing by 1967, when the lads from Liverpool put out Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Pink Floyd

By 1967, The Beatles were the most famous band in the world but another group of young Brits was earning a reputation around London. In October, Pink Floyd played its first U.S. tour. Forty-five years later, Floyd frontman Roger Waters is currently touring the U.S. and played Yankee Stadium last July.

1967 Pro Basketball Preview Issue

We're pretty confident the editors of SI were listening to Pink Floyd and The Beatles when they put out this psychedelic 1967 pro basketball preview issue.

Pele

By 1967, Pele had established himself as the most popular soccer player in the world. The native of Brazil was coming off a disappointing 1966 World Cup run in which his country was eliminated in the first round. He claimed after the tournament that he was retiring from World Cup action, but he returned four years later to lead Brazil to the championship.

Ted Kennedy

Yaz's amazing season brought out some of Boston's most famous residents to Fenway Park, including 35-year-old Ted Kennedy.

Jim Garrison

Less than four years removed from the tragic assasination of President John F. Kennedy, many Americans were convinced the death was part of a vast government conspiracy. Leading the charge was New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison, who was later immortalized in the movie JFK.

Ronald Reagan and Jack Kemp

On the west coast, a former actor named Ronald Reagan (pictured here with Jack Kemp) was finishing his first year as governor of California.

Tony Conigliaro

Though 1967 was a highly successful year for the Red Sox, there was one incident that most Bostonians would rather forget. In August during a game against the Angels, 22-year-old Tony Conigliaro was hit by a pitch on his left cheekbone and was carried off the field on a stretcher. Though Conigliaro would return to action, the image of his black eye remains a bad memory for Red Sox Nation and other baseball fans.

When Yaz Won The Triple Crown