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Harmon Killebrew
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Note: The following information has not been confirmed by the
athlete, but is accurate to the best of our knowledge. |
Contact Information (where autograph
requests should be mailed to):
Contact Person and/or Name of
Organization _____________________________________________
Address:
__________________________________________________________________________
State: _________ City:
__________________________ Zip Code: ________________
Charity
Information:
Name of charity or charities
the donations go to __________________________________________
Signing Habits:
1) If you sign items for free,
what are the maximum number of items you will sign for free? ___________
2) Do you answer questions
sent by fans? ______________
3) Do you prefer when fans
send you their own pens/markers? ______________
4) What can fans do to make it
easier for you to sign their items?
__________________________________________________________________
Donation Charges:
| Item |
Price |
Item |
Price |
| Cards |
|
Flats up to 8x10 |
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| Flats up to 16x20 |
|
Baseballs/small
footballs |
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| Magazines |
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Flats larger than 16x20 |
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| Mini Helmets |
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Football/Basketball |
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| Large Helmet |
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Bats |
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| Jerseys |
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Inscriptions |
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| Other _________ |
|
Other _________ |
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Who should the check/money
order be made out to: __________________________________________
Payment can be made by: Cash,
Personal Checks, Money Orders, Cashier’s Checks
Harmon Killebrew's
Message to the Fans
Biography
Harmon Clayton Killebrew (pronounced /ˈkɪləˌbɹuː/;
born June 29, 1936 in Payette, Idaho) is a former major league baseball player
and member of the Hall of Fame. He was famous for his ability to hit home runs,
primarily during the 1960s.
Killebrew was an all-state quarterback at Payette High School when Washington
Senators scout Ossie Bluege saw him playing in an impromptu baseball game in
1954. After seeing Killebrew's raw power, Bluege reported back to the Senators
who immediately signed him to a $30,000 contract. Because of his large bonus,
Killebrew was a bonus baby. Because of the Bonus Rule, he was immediately added
to the big league roster in 1954, though not yet having reached his eighteenth
birthday. He played only small parts for five seasons, bouncing back and forth
between the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts and Washington. While Killebrew was in
Chattanooga, he became the only player to hit a home run over the 471-foot deep
center field wall at Engel Stadium. He finally made it into the regular lineup
in 1959, and hit 42 homers. The Senators moved to the Twin Cities and became the
Minnesota Twins in 1961.
Killebrew was a stocky 5 ft 11 in, 210 pounds (95 kg) hitter with a short,
compact swing that generated tremendous power. Killebrew became one of the
American League's most feared power hitters of the 1960s, belting 40 homers in a
season eight times. In 1965 he helped the Twins reach the World Series, where
they lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Killebrew had his finest season in 1969,
hitting 49 home runs, driving in 140 runs, and winning the MVP Award. Killebrew
led the league in home runs six times, in RBI three times, and was named to
eleven All Star teams. As a result, he was nicknamed "Killer" - a portmanteau
linking the first 5 letters of his last name with his legendary hitting ability.
On June 3, 1967, Killebrew blasted the longest home run ever hit at the Twins'
Metropolitan Stadium, a shot that landed in the second deck of the bleachers,
and four years later on August 10, 1971, he hit his 500th career home run, also
at The Met.
Despite his "Killer" nickname and his powerful style of play, Killebrew was in
fact a quiet, kind man who was not much given to the partying lifestyle enjoyed
by his peers. Asked once what he liked to do for fun, Killebrew replied, "Well,
I like to wash dishes, I guess." Killebrew was baptized a member of the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints in 1968. His wife was a lifelong member.
Injuries reduced his effectiveness in the early 1970s, and after a one-year
stint with the Kansas City Royals in 1975, he chose to retire. Killebrew hit 573
home runs in his career (ninth best all time, most by an American League
right-hander, and second in the AL only to Babe Ruth, as of 2005) and drove in
1,584 runs. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984, the first
Minnesota Twin to be so honored. The street along the south side of the enormous
Mall of America, the former site of the Metropolitan Stadium ("The Met"), has
been named "Killebrew Drive" in honor of Harmon Killebrew. His uniform number 3
was the first to be retired by the Twins, and is only one of five Twins to have
their jersey retired — Tony Oliva, Rod Carew, Kent Hrbek and Kirby Puckett are
the others. He is, by a wide margin, the all-time home run leader among players
born in the state of Idaho. "If Harmon Killebrew isn't the league's best player,
I've never seen one. He's one of the greatest of all time." (quote by Reggie
Jackson)
Following his retirement, Killebrew was a broadcaster for the Minnesota Twins
from 1976-78 and 1984-88, and for the Oakland A's from 1979-82. Killebrew also
became a successful entrepreneur in insurance, financial planning, and car
sales. In 1990 he retired from business to pursue endorsement and charity work,
especially in the fields of preventive and palliative health care charities and
international causes. Killebrew currently resides in Scottsdale, Arizona, where
he chairs the Harmon Killebrew Foundation [1]
In 1999, he was ranked 69th on The Sporting News list of the 100 Greatest
Baseball Players, and was nominated as a finalist for the Major League Baseball
All-Century Team.
With former Idaho congressman Ralph Harding, Killebrew founded the Danny
Thompson Memorial Golf Tournament in 1977. Played annually in late August in Sun
Valley, Idaho, it has donated more than $8.6 million to leukemia and cancer
research. [2] Thompson was a Twins teammate who continued his major league
career while suffering from leukemia; he died in December 1976 at the age of 29.
****
First Baseman
Born: June 29, 1936 (1936-06-29) (age 71)
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
June 23, 1954
for the Washington Senators
Final game
September 26, 1975
for the Kansas City Royals
Career statistics
Batting average .256
Home runs 573
RBI 1584
Teams
Washington Senators / Minnesota Twins (1954-1974)
Kansas City Royals (1975)
Career highlights and awards
11 All-Star appearances
AL MVP (1969)
Led AL in home runs 6 times
Hit 40 home runs in a season 8 times
9th player to hit 500 career home runs
Member of the National
Baseball Hall of Fame
Elected 1984
Vote 83.13%
****
Trivia
Common Folklore suggests that the silhouette of Harmon Killebrew swinging a bat
is the official logo of Major League Baseball. However, MLB.com states the
following: "The MLB logo: No one player has ever been identified as the model of
the 1969 Major League Baseball batter logo".
On the list of lowest batting averages for league RBI champions, Killebrew holds
both the number one spot and the number three spot. In 1962, he won the RBI
title while batting just .243 – the lowest ever for an RBI champion — and, in
1971, he again led the league in RBI but hit only .254 — the third-lowest ever.
As non-pitchers, only Killebrew, Gary Carter, Bill Mazeroski, Ray Schalk, and
Rabbit Maranville have been elected into the Hall of Fame while never once
batting .300 (over a full season) in their careers.
One seat from Metropolitan Stadium was placed in the Mall of America at the
exact location (including elevation) it occupied in the stadium, to commemorate
a 520-foot home run hit by Killebrew on June 3, 1967.
Killebrew never hit 50 home runs in a single season, but he did hit 49 homers in
a season twice (1964, 1969).
Once hit a home run in batting practice before a game that knocked the back off
a seat.
In 1969, the season in which Rod Carew stole home plate seven times, Killebrew
was at the plate for one of the steals. Killebrew missed the take sign from his
third-base coach, was unaware that Carew was stealing home, and swung and
missed. This prompted a local Minneapolis sportswriter to quip, "There goes Rod
Carew, lined to left by Killebrew!"
He once appearred in an episode of Step by Step playing himself.
****
Source: Wikipedia.org at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmon_Killebrew
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