Early Life
Willie Mays Biography
Willie Mays was born in Alabama in 1931. His full name is Willie Howard Mays Jr and was a former center field professional baseball player. His parents had Willie out of wedlock and split up when Mays was only three years old. Mays was primarily raised by his father who introduced him to baseball at a very young age by playing catch and his mother’s younger sister, Sarah.
Mays was brought to the baseball games of his father’s team. One of the idol players he looked up to and admired was professional baseball player Joe DiMaggio. Mays attended the Fairfield Industrial High School where he played multiple sports including basketball and football.
Baseball Career
He began his baseball career in 1948 by playing on several minor league teams such as the Chattanooga Choo-Choos, Birmingham Black Barons, and the Negro American League. Mays helped Birmingham go to the World Series however the team lost. With his experience playing in the minor leagues, some major league teams became interested in Mays.
The MLB waited until Mays graduated from high school before offering him a spot on the team. Mays was scouted out by several minor league teams. Mays signed a $4000 contract with the Giants batting a .353 average throughout the 1950s. After finding out about his batting average and defense strategy, he was further scouted out by other Major League Baseball teams.
Giants Rookie of the Year
He continued to help the Giants with defense in center field and went to bat over 12 times, not being able to hit, after the 13th time at-bat, he hit a home run. Over the next couple of games, he was able to hit several balls increasing his batting average. He also received the Rookie of the Year Award even though he did not have the best season and had a lot of batting average.
Drafted Soldier
At the end of the 1951 baseball season, Mays realized he was drafted into the United States Army. Mays played the first few weeks of the 1952 baseball season before going off to the Korean War. He officially went into the Army on May 29, 1952, and was stationed in Virginia where he spent most of his time playing baseball.
While playing baseball in the army, Mays fractured his foot from sliding into third base. Mays recovered quickly but missed about 266 games from being in the Military.
Military Discharge
Willie was discharged from Army duty on March 1, 1954, and reported to spring training for the Giants. He had a great baseball year in 1955 completing 51 home runs and received a Golden Glove Award in 1957, something no other player has been able to accomplish in over 16 years.
Second MVP Award
Over the years, Mays went wherever the Giants went, including San Francisco. He completed three hits and completed with a .347 batting average. In 1961, Mays was chosen as captain of the team. During this year, the team played strong and won 85 games. He won his second MVP award in 1965 and has hit 500 home runs throughout his career.
“The Say Hey Kid” turned 41 years old in 1972 and was traded from the Giants to the New York Mets. The Giants traded him as they were losing money and could not promise income to Mays after he retired. At the time Mays was traded to the Mets, he was making $105,000 per season. When he was traded to the Mets, his salary was kept at $165,000 a year with a promise to pay him $50,000 a year per year when he retires.
Mets Heavy Hitter
After Mays went to the Mets, his health started to decline. At the beginning of the 1973 training season, he started with a shoulder injury but wanted to keep it a secret from other players so they would not take him out of the game.
Mays decided to retire from baseball in 1973 after thinking about the decision all year. During one of the last games, Mays helped keep the peace after some fans started to throw trash at Pete Rose who played for the Cincinnati Reds. The Mets and Mays lost this final game in the series.
Retirement
Once Mays retired, he started with the New York Mets organization and worked as a hitting instructor until 1979. After 1979, Mays found another job by working at the Bally’s Place Casino in New Jersey. He worked as a greeter and as a special assistant to the president of the casino. When the Mets found out he was working at a casino.
They gave him the option of either baseball or casino and Mays ended his contract with the Mets, however, he was able to return in 1985. A lifetime contract with the Giants was signed in 1993 and Mays established a charity that helps youths play baseball.
Over the years, Mays has received special honors such as MVP, attending White House dinners, he went with President Obama to St. Louis on Air Force One for the year’s All-Star Game.
Endorsements
He has appeared on several television shows, has had his name mentioned in shows including Peanuts, and has had his name mentioned in several songs. He was awarded several honorary degrees from three colleges throughout the United States in 2017, even though he did not attend college himself.
Marriage
Mays was married several times with his fire wife Marguerite Wendell Chapman in 1956. They adopted a baby but divorced in 1963. Mays remarried about eight years later to Mae Louise Allen. Willie took care of her until she passed away in 2013. In Mays’s free time, he enjoyed playing golf and attending baseball events. However, he was diagnosed with glaucoma which resulted in the need to stop playing golf and driving preventing him from attending many events and doing several activities.
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