Joe Garagiola grew up in an Italian Catholic immigrant neighborhood in St. Louis where he developed a love of family, sports, and community, all of which continued to guide his life. Joe Garagiola served in the U. S. Army in World War II and returned home in 1946 to play baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals. After 9 seasons, an injury forced him to shift from playing baseball to broadcasting. He began as a baseball analyst and went on to host NBC's Today and made Arizona his home. Joe Garagiola continued his baseball broadcasting career as a color commentator and in 1991, he was elected to the Broadcast Wing of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. In 1998, he joined the Arizona Diamondbacks broadcast team. Mr. Garagiola supported many civic projects in Arizona, including St. Peter's Indian Mission and School on the Gila River Reservation. Through the National Spit Tobacco Program, he warned young people about the dangers of tobacco.