Biography of Nolan RyanLynn Nolan Ryan was born in Refuggio, Texas, on January 31, 1947. He grew up in Alvin Texas. He learned a lot about hard work and commitment from the family’s paper route. He would get up every morning at one o’ clock and roll, tie, and deliver papers until five o’clock when he would return to bed. 1 “I’d get two new pairs of blue jeans for school every September. My mother would wash one pair each night so I’d always have a clean pair available. In those days we never felt deprived of anything. I didn’t need a lot of material things. Working for what I had taught me the value of things, the value of money.” Through his parents dedication and work ethic he developed his own work ethic and dedication towards pitching. As a little leaguer he was never a superstar, although he could always throw a ball further than the other kids. During that period of his life he was always throwing things. He often got in trouble for breaking windows. In high school he never really had a good curve ball, but he could throw damn hard. Most of the other players were scared to bat against him. Some even refused to bat against him. Red Murff, a scout for the New York Mets, began scouting Ryan during his sophomore year in 1963. In 1965 Nolan Ryan was drafted in the eighth round, the two hundred and ninety fifth pick overall.
Ryan, Nolan. Throwing Heat . New York, Avon, Books, 1990. Ryan was eighteen and had never been away from home. He was assigned to Marion, Virginia to play in a rookie league. Over seventy five players rotated through the roster that year. Ryan made it through the season and was invited to St. Petersburg, Florida. This was an instructional league in which only the top twenty prospects in the Mets organization were taken. It was here he realized the mental part of the game, and how much work was ahead of him to become a big league pitcher. In fourteen months Nolan went from Alvin, to Virginia, to South Carolina, to Pennsylvania, and finally ended up in New York. He got his first start in Houston; this meant his family and friends would be at the game. He was anxious, nervous, excited, and overthrowing. He didn’t have a good start, but that was not any indication his future. Nolan Ryan is beginning his twenty sixth season in the major leagues. Some of his major accomplishments include over five thousand career strike outs, 383 strike outs in a season, and six no hitters. There is no doubt in my mind that he will be inducted into the hall of fame.