Background
Harmon Killebrew Jr. was born on June 29, 1936 in Payette, Idaho, United States. He was the fifth child of Katherine Pearl May Killebrew and Clayton Killebrew Sr.
Harmon Killebrew Jr. was born on June 29, 1936 in Payette, Idaho, United States. He was the fifth child of Katherine Pearl May Killebrew and Clayton Killebrew Sr.
Hermon attended College of Idaho. Harmon was offered a football scholarship to the University of Oregon, but rejected it.
Killebrew began his major-league career with the Washington Senators in 1954. Throughout Killebrew’s first five years in the Senators organization, he played only occasionally at the major-league level. But in 1959 Senators management finally decided to play Killebrew regularly at third base. Killebrew quickly repaid the favor by blasting several home runs, including eight in less than two weeks. He ended the 1959 season with forty-two home runs, enough to tie him with the Cleveland Indians’ Rocky Colavito for leadership in the American League.
In 1960, after the Senators moved to Minnesota an renamed themselves the Twins, Killebrew began the season with a batting slump, but he revived himse and managed thirty-one homers. The following season ranks among his greatest because he hit forty-six runs. Then Killebrew continued his impressive production rate by smashing forty-eight home runs, enough for him to again lead the American League, and he drove in 126 runs, also leading the league. During the next two seasons he continued to lead the American League in home runs, with forty-five and forty-nine, respectively, and he began showing some progress as a fielder.
Killebrew’s 1965 season was abbreviated by injury, though he still managed twenty five home runs. The next season, Killebrew hit thirty-nine homers and finished with a batting average of 281. In 1967 he hit another forty-four home runs, best in the American League, but in 1968 he once again suffered an injury. He proved himself fully recovered by 1969, though, and blasted a league-leading forty-nine home runs. In addition, he led the league by driving in 140 runs.
The year 1970 would prove Killebrew’s last great season as a slugger. That year he hit forty-one home runs and managed a batting average of 271. The next year his home run production dropped to twenty eight and his batting average declined to 254, although he once again led the league in runs batted in with 119. Killebrew played only four more seasons, finishing in 1975 with the Kansas City Royals.
Killebrew retired with 573 home runs, which ranked him fifth as of 1995. His career batting average was 256, while bis career fielding average was 981. In addition he scored 1283 runs and drove in 1584. Killebrew also finished with 1699 strikeouts, placing him tenth as of 1995.
After ending his professional playing career, Killebrew turned to sports broadcasting. From 1976 to 1978 he worked as an announcer on television broadcasts of Twins games. He spent next four years announcing televised games of the Oakland A’s. In 1983 he switched to televised games of the California Angels. But in 1984 he returned to Minneapolis to resume work broadcasting Twins games.
In addition to his broadcasting endeavors, Killebrew has participated in various business ventures, including an insurance company and an automobile dealership. He had also served as organizer and director of the Danny Thomas Memorial Golf Tournament, a charitable event held in Sun Valley, Idaho.
In 1986 Killebrew collaborated with Dave Campbell, Brooks Robinson, and Duke Snider on "The Scouting Report: 1986", which profiles various baseball players.
Hermon was a Mormon.
Harmon's kind and generous heart had been one of Harmon's most memorable and endearing qualities.
Physical Characteristics: Hermon was known for his quick hands and exceptional upper-body strength.
On October 1, 1955 Hermon married Elaine Roberts, with whom he had five children: Cameron, Kenneth, Shawn, Kathryn, and Erin. Harmon and Elaine were married for 34 years and divorced in 1990. Harmon then married Nita Fairbank Patten in 1991. She had four children from a previous marriage: Megan, Melissa, Sari and Jake. Harmon also had twenty one grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.