Former Yankee great Skowron dies

Bronx, NY – Former New York Yankees great Bill "Moose" Skowron has died. He was 81 years old.

Diagnosed with cancer in March 2011, Skowron died of congestive heart failure Friday morning at Northwest Community Hospital in Illinois.

Skowron was a first baseman for the great Yankee teams of the 1950s and early '60s. He also played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Washington Senators, Chicago White Sox and California Angels in a career spanning from 1954-67.

A six-time All-Star, including five selections while with the Yankees, Skowron was a career .282 hitter with 211 homers and 888 runs batted in. He appeared in seven World Series with the Yankees and one against his old team with the Dodgers in 1963.

"Moose will always be remembered as being one of the key members of the Yankees' dynasties in the 50s and early 60s," said Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner. "He was a winner in every sense of the word, and someone the Yankees family cared deeply for. Baseball lost one of its finest ambassadors, and on behalf of the entire organization, I extend my deepest sympathies to his wife, Cookie, and his entire family."

Skowron helped the Yankees to World Series titles in 1956, '58, '61 and '62, then helped the Dodgers past New York the following year. He hit eight homers in 39 World Series games, including a three-run shot in the eighth inning of the Yankees' Game 7 win over the Milwaukee Braves in 1958.

Born in Chicago, Skowron attended Purdue University on a football scholarship before focusing on baseball. He is survived by his wife, Lorraine (also known as Cookie); daughter Lynnette, sons Greg and Steve, granddaughter Addyson and grandsons Jordan, Grant and Blake. Skowron is also survived by his brother Edward.