Twins Announce Plans to Honor Mauer by Retiring His Jersey

December 18, 2018

Tom Kelly, Tony Oliva, Bert Blyleven, and Kent Hrbek surprised Joe Mauer’01 at CDH with the announcement that the Twins will retire Mauer’s number 7 next summer.

The Minnesota Twins surprised Joe Mauer ’01 at Cretin-Derham Hall on December 18 by announcing their plans to retire his No. 7 jersey. Mauer joins seven other Twins players whose numbers were retired by the team.    

Joe Mauer was at CDH for an all-school assembly to honor his retirement from baseball and his lifelong contributions to the CDH community. Students and faculty welcomed back the All-American kid who left CDH and went directly into professional baseball, spending his entire career with the Minnesota Twins. He was joined at the assembly by his wife, Maddie Bisanz Mauer ’01, two of their girls, and many other family and friends.

There was another surprise for Mauer. After an emotional tribute from his friend and former teammate Tony Leseman ’01, Governor Mark Dayton proclaimed via video that December 18, 2018, is “Joe Mauer Day” in Minnesota.

“In 2001, at age 18, Joe was chosen as the first overall draft pick for the Minnesota Twins,” reads Governor Dayton’s proclamation.“ Joe Mauer will forever be recognized as one of Minnesota’s all-time greatest athletes, and will continue to inspire future generations of girls and boys with his exceptional talent and character.”

Mauer addressed the students in the audience. He talked about how blessed he was to have had so many opportunities in his life, with the opportunity to attend Cretin-Derham Hall as the first one.

He told the student body to “be thankful to be part of this community and remember that the teachers are here to help you, and they will always be available.”

Near the end of the celebration, the school’s band started playing and some familiar faces from the Twins organization – Bert Blyleven, Kent Hrbek, Tony Oliva, and Tom Kelly – joined Mauer on stage and praised him for his extraordinary run as a Twins player. Blyleven also read a letter from Rod Carew, who could not attend. All five former Twins also had their jersey number retired. The late Harmon Killebrew, Kirby Puckett, and Jackie Robinson are the other players on that exclusive list.

Hrbek then announced the plan to retire No. 7 on behalf of the Twins organization.

The Cretin-Derham Hall community was on their feet several times. Scattered around the room were plenty of Twins jerseys among the purple and gold. The significance of Joe Mauer, a former Raider and a Saint Paul hero, was not lost on the students. He was a neighborhood boy who played on the same fields current Raiders and grade school kids play and made it to the big leagues.

But he was so much more than a baseball player. He was the starting quarterback for two years, leading the Raiders to two consecutive Class 5A State Championship games and winning the title in 1999 – the school’s first football state championship in history. On the basketball court, he was named All-State twice.

According to Jim O’Neill ’74, Mauer’s CDH baseball coach, Mauer was admired for far more than his excellence in sports, “Joe was admired for his humility and class.”

Leseman, the former classmate and lifelong friend, entertained the crowd with high school photos of both Joe and Maddie and told several stories of Joe’s high school days and how his success as a student-athlete did not change his personal morals and values.   

Frank Miley, President of Cretin-Derham Hall, noted that Joe is a Raider who never forgot where he came from and who has helped make his alma mater a better place for generations to come. Miley said, “The philanthropy of Joe and Maddie Mauer is reflective of their deeply held commitment to compassionate service, and includes support for organizations dedicated to education, developmental disabilities, healthcare, and youth athletics.”

In 2015, in recognition of the transformational philanthropy of Joe Mauer ’01 and Madeline Bisanz Mauer ’01, Cretin-Derham Hall dedicated the Joe Mauer Field House in his honor. It was here in the Joe Mauer Field House that the Minnesota Twins announced the retirement of his jersey.

Watch the full event on FOX Sports North.


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