Mustangs leadership remembers founder
Sep. 26—Members of the Mustangs organization are reminiscing on the team's founder after his death was announced Tuesday.
The team announced in a statement that Dan Gerson died at age 68. Gerson founded the Mustangs in 2008. During his tenure, the Mustangs were top 10 in national attendance eight times. They also won seven MINK League Championships. As someone who was passionate about the community, Gerson helped make the Mustangs become the hottest ticket in St. Joseph during the months of June and July as he was responsible for turning Phil Welch Stadium into an experience for fans who attended.
Gerson, a Chicago native, sold the Mustangs franchise to current owner Ky Turner in December of 2021.
Turner had been with the Mustangs many years before taking over as owner. Turner served as the team's general manager since 2014 before becoming owner in 2021 and was with the team even before his role as GM. Having last spoken to Gerson on Friday, he said the news of Gerson's passing was a shock and the loss is "like losing a family member." Turner considers Gerson a mentor.
"When he came in here from day one, he said he was going to be successful and put together something St. Joe would be proud and I think he's accomplished that," Turner said. "The opportunities he provided myself and my family, selfishly, is something I'll be forever thankful for."
Gerson's fingerprint on the St. Joseph community didn't stop at the Mustangs. Gerson was known for purchasing MINK League Championship rings for fans instead of ever paying for one for himself, he supported local businesses in town and was even responsible for franchising his restaurant Big Biscuit in St. Joe. Gerson is also the founder of the St. Joseph Baseball Hall of Fame.
" I think he's always about creating new memories and finding different ways to impact people. He wanted a winning team, but he wanted a winning product off the field," Turner said.
Current Mustangs manager Johnny Coy was a player for the Mustangs under Gerson's ownership. Coy was supposed to play for another team in the MINK League but decided to stay in his hometown and was one of the first players signed to the Mustangs.
"He told me the visions he had for this thing. It was really cool to see it come to light. He's done so much for St. Joe. We can't thank him enough. I don't know what I'd be doing in the summers if it wasn't for Dan. We're really going to miss him," Coy said.
It's not yet clear what the team will do during the 2024 season to honor Gerson and the residual impact he had. As for the offseason, the team knew of Gerson's passion for animals. In a statement released by the team following Gerson's passing, they're encouraging individuals to donate to the St. Joseph Animal Shelter. Any donation in memory of Gerson, the Mustangs will match up to $2,009, which is in honor of the first season of the Mustangs.
Jacob Meikel can be reached at jacob.meikel@newspressnow.com.
Follow him on Twitter @NPNowMeikel.
