Steve Renko

Steve Renko was born in Kansas City and graduated from Wyandotte High School before moving on to the University of Kansas.

At KU, Renko was a three-sport letter winner, playing baseball, basketball and football.  On the gridiron, he was the quarterback in the same backfield as Gale Sayers.  Renko was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in 1966 and offered a guaranteed contract by Al Davis.  Renko, however, was previously drafted by the New York Mets and had already pitched a year in the minor leagues.  He said he chose baseball over football because he saw so many football players get hurt.

Renko was traded by the Mets to the expansion Montreal Expos and reached the majors in their inaugural season of 1969.  Renko was in the Expos’ rotation for seven years and was a 15-game winner in 1973 and 1975..  His 68 wins as an Expo puts him in the top five in team history.

Traded to the Cubs in 1976, Renko spent time with both Chicago teams, Oakland, Boston, California and Kansas City.  He retired after one season with the Royals, winning 134 for his career.

Following his playing career, Renko spent 12 seasons as a minor league pitching coach.  He retired from coaching in 2006.  His son Steve III played baseball at KU.  Both of Renko’s sons played minor league baseball.

For more, read Steve Renko’s Society for American Baseball Research bio.