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WILLIE MAYS 
The "Say Hey Kid" was born in Westfield, Alabama on May 6, 1931. His enthusiasm for ball games developed at an early age. Before he could walk, his father Willie Sr. would roll a ball back and forth with him.
His parents divorced while he was still very young and Willie moved in with an Aunt who lived in nearby Fairfield. At high school, he excelled at football and basketball, and even though the school didn't have a baseball team, Willie was still good enough to play for the Birmingham Black Barons at the age of just 17. Mays had his contract bought by the New York Giants in 1950 and in May of the following year, he was called up from the Giants AAA team, the Minneapolis Millers to the Major Leagues. In his first year, he was rewarded with the title of National League Rookie of the Year. In 1952 and 1953, Mays served in the Army and returned to the Giants in 1954 where he would remain until 1972, when he was traded to the New York Mets. Willie Mays retired from baseball in 1973. The center fielder was thought to be a complete ball player and he excelled at all five facets of the game: hitting, hitting for power, running, fielding and throwing. During his career, he hit 660 home runs, which currently is the third most in the history of baseball. He won 2 MVPs and 12 Gold Gloves. A number of his catches are legendary, such as the one pictured above. Mays was elected to the Hall Of Fame in 1979, the first year that he was eligible. Later that year, Baseball Commissioner, Bowie Kuhn banned him from baseball because of his work for an Atlantic City casino. He was reinstated by Peter Ueberroth 6 years later. Willie Mays now works within the San Francisco Giants organization as a special assistant to the team president. Facts and Figures National League Rookie of the Year - 1951. 660 career home runs. 3,283 career hits. 2,062 career runs. 1,903 career RBIs. Two MVP awards. 12 Gold Gloves 24 All-Star Games. Lifetime batting average - .302 Links To Other Willie Mays Internet Resources: National Baseball Hall of Fame - Willie Mays. Salon.com - Brilliant Careers - Willie Mays. Academy of Achievement - Willie Mays. baseball-reference.com - Willie Mays Statistics. National Baseball Hall of Fame - Willie Mays Wallpaper. SIGN UP TO OUR EMAIL NEWSLETTER If you would like us to keep you updated with changes and improvements to thatsalabama.com, please enter your email address here: If you would like to support thatsalabama.com with a donation via paypal, please click on this button: |
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