Mike Darr

Michael Curtis Darr (March 21, 1976 – February 15, 2002) was a Major League Baseball outfielder who played for the San Diego Padres (1999–2001).

Darr was a promising young outfielder. The last season he played prior to his death, he appeared in 105 games for the San Diego Padres, compiling a .277 batting average with 2 home runs, 34 runs batted in, and 6 stolen bases.

On February 15, 2002, Darr was involved in a single car accident in Peoria, Arizona, during spring training. Darr and friend Duane Johnson, who were not wearing safety belts, were killed. Minor league pitcher Ben Howard, who had his safety belt on, survived with only minor injuries. Darr was legally drunk at the time. He was buried at the Riverside, California, Crestlawn Memorial Park.

Nearly the entire Padres organization was among the more than 1,500 in attendance at Darr's funeral. Darr left behind a wife, Natalie, also a graduate of Corona Senior High School and two sons. The Padres wore a black circle patch with Darr's uniform number 26 on the right-sleeve of their uniform during the 2002 season.

Mike Darr (pitcher)

Michael Edward Darr (born March 23, 1956 in Pomona, California) is a former professional baseball pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays, almost exclusively in the minor leagues. He was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 1974 Major League Baseball Draft, but never played for them. He was then selected in 1976 by the Blue Jays in the expansion draft. Darr started one game for the Blue Jays in 1977 before being sent down to play for minor league affiliates of the team. He would finish his career in 1979, having pitched in only one major league game.

He is the father of Mike Darr, a San Diego Padres outfielder who died in a car accident in 2002.

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