Former Gophers catcher, Richfield star Mike Sadek dies at 74

Mike Sadek, a popular backup catcher who played all eight of his major league seasons with the San Francisco Giants, has died. He was 74.

Sadek was a standout athlete at Richfield High School and played college baseball for the University of Minnesota. He was drafted by the Twins in 1967 and was acquired by the Giants two years later.

The team announced Sadek died Wednesday in San Andreas, California, following a short illness.

Sadek was a .226 career hitter with five home runs and 74 RBIs in 383 big league games from 1973-81.

At age 26, he made his major league debut on April 13, 1973, and spent parts of eight seasons with San Francisco. His 64 games in 1980 were a career high.

Sadek went on to work in the club's community relations department from 1981-99 before retiring. He also worked as Robert DeNiro's body double in the 1996 film, "The Fan," which was set in San Francisco.

"Mike was a Forever Giant in every sense of the term," Giants CEO Larry Baer said in a statement. "He spent nearly 30 years in the Giants organization between his time as a player and his role as a member of the front office. He had a genuine love for the game and was known for getting a laugh out of his teammates when they needed it the most. Our condolences go out to the Sadek family for their loss and we extend our thoughts to his teammates and friends."

Sadek was born May 30, 1946, in Minneapolis.

His brother, Bob, was a well-known football coach at Rosemount High School, where he also coached baseball. Bob Sadek died in 2013.

Mike Sadek is survived by his son, Mike Jr., daughter-in-law, Melanie, and grandchildren Jackson, Nicholas and Maxwell. Sadek was preceded in death by his daughter, Nicole Sadek-Cadiz, who died in a parachuting accident in 2000.