Sun Devil Baseball mourns the loss of another outstanding alum as Ken Hansen passed on March 1, 2023. He was 73.
Hansen was a 1969 National Champion and two-time Western Athletic Conference Champion (1969, 1971) as a Sun Devil. In 1969, ASU went 56-11 including 15-3 in WAC play. Arizona State was 4-2 against the Arizona Wildcats that year and Hansen was 14-10 against the foes down south.
He threw the second nine-inning no-hitter in ASU history on March 30, 1970 in a 5-0 Sun Devil victory over Oklahoma. Hansen struck out 16 batters in the effort.
He ended his career ranked third on ASU's career strikeout list (418) and currently sits fourth in program history. Overall, he has the fifth most innings pitched and fourth most appearances of any pitcher to dawn the Maroon and Gold. Hansen was 30-10 on the bump as a Sun Devil.
"Ken Hansen was as tough as they come to ever wear a Sun Devil uniform," said Sun Devil Baseball Head Coach Willie Bloomquist. "Being the head coach, my goal is to show our players how prestigious the history of Arizona State Baseball is. I hope they can learn from the stories about Ken, how he carried himself and apply it into their own lives as Sun Devils."
Following his Sun Devil career, Hansen was drafted in the second round of the 1971 MLB Draft by the Cincinnati Reds. He reached as high as AA in his time as a Minor Leaguer, garnering a 15-8 record with a 3.63 ERA and 219 strikeouts over three seasons.
He went on to work for Purcell Tires for over 40 years, staying in the Phoenix area until his passing. Kenny is survived by his wife Barbara of 45 years, daughter Jeanne, sons, Grady (spouse Kristi) and Kenny (spouse Sara) and three granddaughters, Kaylee, Maddie, and Marley. Kenny is also survived by his siblings Joyce Smitheran Woodroffe, Jim Hansen and Carole Hansen Peterson. His celebration of life was privately held at Phoenix Municipal Stadium on March 18, 2023.