Atlanta Braves players Bob Horner, left, and Dale Murphy pose for a photo in Atlanta in 1978. (CREDIT: Louie Favorite/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Bob Horner, whose fearsome slugging power and everyman build made him an icon of the Atlanta Braves in the late 1970s and early 1980s, has passed away at age 68. No cause of death is known at the moment.

The Braves announced Horner’s death and released a statement honoring Horner, which read in part:

“Bob Horner built a career out of being first. He was the first overall pick in the 1978 draft after an illustrious collegiate career. He was the first Braves draftee to skip the minor leagues entirely and debut directly in the majors. And he was the first Atlanta player to ever hit four home runs in a single game . . .

The Atlanta Braves extend sincere sympathies to his wife, Chris, two sons, Tyler and Trent, and his numerous friends and fans across the game.”

Horner played nine seasons with Atlanta, and although many of those teams weren’t successful, he and Dale Murphy were appointment viewing for fans, a powerful combo in the middle of the Braves order. Horner hit 215 of his career 218 homers with Atlanta, taking advantage of the environs in hitter-friendly Atlanta Fulton-County Stadium, aka the “Launching Pad.”

James Robert “Bob” Horner was born in Junction City, Kansas, but grew up in Glendale, Arizona. He played college baseball at Arizona State, where he had an outstanding career, leading the Sun Devils to three consecutive College World Series appearances, including a championship in 1977, when Horner was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament. In 1978, Horner won the first-ever Golden Spike Award, the college baseball equivalent of the Heisman Trophy. He hit 58 homers in his ASU career, then a collegiate record. It was a no-brainer to enshrine him in the inaugural College Baseball Hall of Fame class in 2006.

Atlanta Braves Bob Horner (5) in action during a game from his 1982 season. Bob Horner played for 10 years with 2 different teams, was a 1-time All-Star and was the 1978 National League Rookie of the Year (CREDIT: AP Photo/David Durochik)

The Braves made him the first pick of the 1978 draft, and Horner skipped the minors entirely to go straight into the lineup at third base. He hit 23 homers in just 89 games and made such an indelible impression that he was named National League Rookie of the Year despite only playing a little more than half a season.

Horner was instantly popular not just for his hitting prowess but for his affable nature and his beer-league softball body. (He was listed at 210 pounds but frequently ballooned far higher than that, with the Braves requiring frequent weigh-ins as part of his contract.) Horner also sported a thick mustache, a barrel chest, and tiny dancer’s ankles. Most memorable was his blonde hairdo, a curly mullet sculpted by lots of product that, when topped with a baseball cap, at times made Horner resemble Krusty the Clown.

Horner became one of the league’s best sluggers over the next few seasons, though frequent injuries caused him to seldom manage a full campaign. He whacked 33 homers in 1979 and a career-high 35 in 1980, though he missed a sizable chunk of both seasons due to shoulder and leg injuries.

His best and healthiest season came in 1982, with 32 homers and 97 RBI. Horner was named an All-Star, his lone appearance in the Midsummer Classic, as the Braves memorably won their first 13 games of the season and won their first division title since 1969. Murphy hit 36 homers himself as the duo led the perennial doormats in a captivating turnaround that captured the imaginations of fans watching the team across the nation on Turner’s “Superstation,” WTBS.

Atlanta Braves Bob Horner (5) in action during a game from his 1983 season against the New York Mets at Shea Stadium in Flushing Meadows, New York. Bob Horner played for 10 years all with the Atlanta Braves.( CREDIT: AP Photo/David Durochik)

Horner had the misfortune to break each wrist in consecutive years in 1983 and ’84, prematurely ending his seasons and ensuring the team fell back into mediocrity. 1986 saw a pair of momentous occasions. On July 6, Horner clubbed four home runs in a single game against Montreal, becoming just the 12th player in major league history to do so. (True to form, the Braves lost despite the power display.)

“It’s something you dream about but never expect to happen,” Horner told the Atlanta Constitution after the game.

Later in the season, Horner, who held the record for most homers without a grand slam (210), at last hit a bases-loaded dinger in a win over Pittsburgh.

The following year, after falling victim to the MLB owners’ collusion to underpay the sport’s free agents, Horner became one of the biggest American names to play in Japan, slugging 31 homers for the Yakult Swallows in 1987. He returned to the U.S. to play for the St. Louis Cardinals, but yet another injury forced him to call it a career after just 60 games.

Horner’s untimely passing is the third loss to the Braves family in recent weeks, after former team owner Ted Turner and longtime manager Bobby Cox died in what has been a sad spring for the club, even as the team plays exceptionally well on the field.

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