On May 26, 1956, former Philadelphia A’s star Al Simmons dies at the age of 54, 4 days after his 54th birthday and a year after his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

After his playing days ended, Simmons served as a coach for Mack’s Athletics (1945–49) and the Cleveland Indians (1950). In early April 1951, Simmons announced that he was dealing with an undisclosed illness and that he was stepping down as a coach of the Indians. While Cleveland manager Al López encouraged Simmons to think about his decision, Simmons said that he could no longer help the team. Simmons died on May 26, 1956. He had collapsed on a sidewalk near the Milwaukee Athletic Club and was thought to have suffered a heart attack. He was pronounced dead at a hospital a short time later. He was buried at St. Adalbert’s Cemetery in Milwaukee.

In his last years in baseball, Connie Mack reflected on his long baseball career. He kept only one picture of a former player in his office, and it was the swaggering Simmons. Asked which player could provide the most value to a team, Mack sighed, “If I could only have nine players named Al Simmons.”

He batted .334 with 307 home runs during a 20-year career. Simmons is largely an overlooked player. He was amongst the best players of all-time and was a key figure in the Philadelphia A’s great run from 1929 – 1931.
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