Richard Michael "Goose" Gossage played 21 seasons for nine different teams, spending his best years with the   New York Yankees and San Diego Padres, before retiring in 1994.

During his career, Gossage pitched in 1,002 games and finished 681 of them and earned 310 saves. He made nine All-Star appearances and pitched in three World Series. He led the American League in saves in 1975 (26), 1978 (27) and 1980 (33). He holds the New York Yankees career record for ERA (2.14) and hits per nine innings (6.59). One difference between Gossage and more recent closers is that Gossage often pitched as many as three innings to finish a game, while modern closers typically pitch the ninth inning only.

In 1995, the city of Colorado Springs dedicated the Rich “Goose” Gossage Youth Sports complex, which features five fields for youth baseball and softball competition.

He released an autobiography in 2000, “The Goose is Loose”.