Shannon was raised in St. Louis, Missouri and was an integral part of some of the Cards’ most successful seasons, during the 1960s. He was the proprietor of Mike Shannon\'s Steaks and Seafood restaurant, in downtown St. Louis, until its closing, on January 30, 2016. Shannon still operates two Mike Shannon\'s Grill locations, in Edwardsville, IL, and at the St. Louis Lambert International Airport, which is run by his grandson, Justin VanMatre.\n', '

Shannon was born and raised in south St. Louis at 7045 Winona Avenue. Mike was the second oldest of six children of Thomas A. Shannon and Elizabeth W. Richason Shannon. Shannon's father was a St. Louis police officer and after getting his law degree, worked in the Prosecuting Attorney's office before becoming the Prosecuting Attorney for the City of St. Louis in the early 1970s.\n", '

Mike attended grade school at Epiphany of Our Lord Catholic School, and graduated from Christian Brothers College High School in 1957. While at CBC Mike was the Missouri High School Player of the Year in both football and basketball his senior year. He is the only athlete to win both awards in the same year. He attended the University of Missouri before leaving in 1958 to begin his professional baseball career after signing with Bing Devine, GM of the St. Louis Cardinals. Shannon has commented that if football players were paid better during his era, he probably would have stayed at Missouri and sought a professional football career. He believed himself to be a better football player. His former coach Frank Broyles commented that had he stayed in school, Shannon might have won the Heisman Trophy.\n', '

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