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From 1965 to 1979, “Catfish” Hunter was a household name to baseball fans all over America. A legendary baseball player with an outstanding pitching and batting ability, Hunter won 224 games, produced five straight 20-victory seasons, was elected to the All-Star Team eight times and helped win five World Series. He was awarded the Cy Young Award and named “Pitcher of the Year” in 1974. In 1987, Jim “Catfish” Hunter was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, where his plaque reads, “The bigger the game, the better he pitched.”
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Listen to the perfect game radio call (05-08-1968 Oakland A's vs. Minnesota Twins) 45 secs. Hunter was 22 years old.
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| A Hertford, North Carolina native, Hunter was diagnosed with ALS in 1998 and died from complications of the disease a year later at the age of 53. During that time, he used his celebrity status to increase awareness for ALS. In 2002, the Carolinas’ Chapter of ALSA was renamed in his honor. Today, Hunter’s wife, Helen, along with family and friends, continue to work tirelessly to fulfill their mission to promote research that will lead to a cure. |
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Listen to an excerpt from the speech "Winning isn't everything but wanting to is..."
Delivered during the Oakland A's "Catfish" Hunter Appreciation Day (after he was diagnosed with ALS).
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"Catfish Hunter brought respectability to the Yankees. Without him, we would never have been world champs. If he never pitches another ball, he has been worth every cent."
- New York Yankees Owner George Steinbrenner
Click here for a nice tribute to "Catfish" Hunter by Steve Kontos.
Click here for another nice tribute to "Catfish" Hunter by Patricia King.
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| PLEASE NOTE: None of the audio or images contained on this website may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without permission. Please contact our Chapter office for questions or comments. |
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