New York Yankees trainer Gene Monahan will retire at the end of the season, ending one of the longest tenures of service in franchise history after 49 years.

The 66-year-old Monahan, who underwent treatment for throat and neck cancer last year, joined the club as a bat boy and clubhouse attendant at spring training in 1962.

He’s been the head trainer the past 39 years, the longest tenure in the major leagues, a mantle he assumed when Dave Pursley retired from the Atlanta Braves after the 2002 season.

Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner said in a statement Wednesday: “Gene has made a lifetime’s worth of sacrifices and contributions in order to best serve the Yankees, and our entire organization will always be grateful.”

-AP