James “Jim” Hannan, who played most of his 10-year major league baseball career pitching for the Washington Senators 1962-70, died Feb. 9 at 85. Hannan was a parishioner of St. Ambrose Church in Annandale.
James John Hannan was born Jan. 7, 1940, in Jersey City, N.J. The Notre Dame graduate was a pitcher for the Washington Senators from 1962 to 1970, finishing his career in 1971 with the Detroit Tigers and the Milwaukee Brewers. Among his career highlights was throwing a one-hit complete game against the Kansas City Royals in 1970. His best season was 1968 when the right-hander posted a record 10-6 with a 3.01 ERA for a team that lost 96 games. Hannan was also a player representative and wrote his master’s thesis on the Major League Baseball pension plan, before a long and distinguished career as a financial adviser for Morgan Stanley.
Hannan was perhaps best known for his work with the MLB Players Alumni Association, an organization he helped found in 1982 to raise money for charity, promote positive sports images to youth, and support the integrity of baseball through former players. He served as the organization’s first president and held that role until 1986. Hannan remained involved with the MLBPAA, serving as its chairman of the board from 1996 until this year.
Father Andrew J. Fisher, pastor of St. Ambrose, said Hannan was a “great friend” and “a man of deep faith, who attended daily Mass, was very active in the parish, and was a devoted family man. He was committed to serving others and used his free time and baseball fame to support numerous charities. I will always treasure watching baseball games with him, as he would share wonderful stories of his playing days and talk about his Catholic faith.”
In a tribute to Hannan, Dan Foster, MLBPAA chief executive officer, said, “Our Alumni Association owes its existence and current status to Jim Hannan and his impact. Since 1982, Jim has championed former players and the MLBPAA will continue to advocate for our players and uphold the integrity of the game on behalf of Jim and our founding members. The history of our organization is inseparable from Jim and his everlasting influence. His presence will be greatly missed, and our thoughts are with his wife, Carol, and children Coleen, Heather, Jimmy and Erin.”
Visitation will be at Fairfax Memorial Funeral Home, 9902 Braddock Rd., Fairfax, Feb. 18, 4-7 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at St. Ambrose Church in Annandale Feb. 19 at 10:30 a.m. The burial will take place at noon at Fairfax Memorial Park, 4401 Burke Station Rd., Fairfax.
