Former major league pitcher Chris Zachary of
Knoxville has lost a courageous battle with cancer.
Zachary, who was 59, passed away Saturday at University of Tennessee
Medical Center. He had been taking experimental drugs for a rare and
extremely aggressive form of cancer in his bone marrow. He was hoping to
get the cancer in remission so he could have a stem cell transplant.
Zachary was one of the first big-time pitching prospects in Knoxville
and graduated from Central High School in 1962. He made his professional
debut with the expansion Houston Colt .45s in 1963 and also played for the
Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals, St. Louis Cardinals, Detroit Tigers
and Pittsburgh Pirates.
Zachary once described himself as being "a pretty decent 10th-man on a
10-man staff." He also was a member of the Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame.
The family will announce when a memorial service and Interment of the
ashes will be held. For more information, contact Stevens Mortuary at
865-524-0331.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the
Huffaker Family Foundation of Knoxville to assist those in need of organ
and bone marrow transplants.
