Fresh to the hobby, this classic pillbox style cap donned by the great Willie "Pops" Stargell surely captures the heart of every Pirates fan during the ball club’s disco-dancing World Championship campaign of 1979. After a dominant 98-64 regular season, the "We Are Family" Bucs put an easy end to the Big Red Machine's 1970's dynasty by sweeping Cincinnati in the NLCS. Then, Pittsburgh took out the Orioles in a memorable seven-game Fall Classic to complete its sensational run, with beloved, left-handed slugging first baseman earning World Series MVP honors.
While the multi-season style cannot be definitively dated, the black cap with yellow horizontal stripes is an exact match to those worn with the Pirates’ 1979 road uniforms. Stargell won his only National League MVP that year – even after missing 36 games – by homering 32 times in just 424 official at-bats. At age 39, Pops became a true father figure, uniting his teammates by handing out “Stargell Stars” for good plays to be sewn on their caps. Our consignor acquired this cap from a close San Diego-based friend of "Pops" and Chuck Tanner (Pirates' manager 1977-85) who would often host the two at his house when the Bucs came to town to play the Padres.
Any game used uniform item from a Hall of Fame demigod’s prime is museum-worthy in Cooperstown, yet few from the late 1970’s evokes such instant memories of the colorful ballplayers who sported them as the Pirates’ famous bumblebee fashion statement. The pillbox style has been absent from the majors since the days of Connie Mack's $100,000 infield, and therefore remains highly sought-after by collectors, regardless of player attribution. In addition to its provenance, this example is distinctively linked to Pops by the roman numeral "VIII" in vintage marker under the brim as well as the obvious sign of his very own Stargell Stars being removed from the front. The cap displays what appears to be a full season’s worth of game use, properly tagged by New Era at the heavily-sweated interior headband. The size number has worn off its flag tag as we could barely make out a “7” and “1/__”. Above all, it remains in wonderful condition for its level of wear and is certainly one of the finer pillbox/stovetop style caps to surface. We have no doubt it will pass any third-party authentication from JT Sports or MEARS (consignor opted not to pay for this service).
Possible photo-match here…
https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/portrait-of-willie-stargell-first-baseman-for-the-news-photo/515115326?adppopup=true