Background

Lynn Nolan Ryan was born on January 31, 1947, in Refugio, Texas, United States. He was the youngest of six children born to Lynn Nolan Ryan, Sr. and Martha Lee (Hancock) Ryan. Ryan grew up in Alvin, Texas, where his father worked for an oil company and delivered papers for the Houston Post.

Education

An oil field supervisor, Ryan's father moved his family from Refugio to Alvin, Texas, where his youngest son became an outstanding pitcher for Alvin High School. During his senior year, he drew the attention of major league scouts when he won twenty games.

Ryan enrolled at Alvin Junior College (now Alvin Community College) in 1966, hoping to play baseball with the Houston Astros franchise, located only twenty miles from Alvin. The Astros failed to show much interest in Ryan, reportedly because the young pitcher was too slight and had sensitive skin, particularly on the fingertips of his pitching hand, which had been cut severely in a childhood accident.

Career

Ryan moved away from Alvin, Texas, in 1965 to Greenville, South Carolina, to begin playing a game that even he did not realize would become his career. Ryan was selected by the New York Mets during the 1965 free-agent draft and played in the West Carolinas League beginning on September 11, 1966. During Ryan's stint with this league, his teammates began to respect his fast ball. Before his playing, his teammates thought his fast ball was just a high school fantasy. Although Ryan lacked true ball control, he nonetheless frightened batters and catchers alike with his scorching fast ball. At times, his pitches had been recorded at speeds well over 90 miles per hour. Even with lack of ball control, it was enough for the Mets that Ryan possessed such pitching skill and as a result they called him up to play in the major leagues at the end of the 1966 season. Ryan had already won 17 games by the start of his major league career. The Mets at that time were in sore need of great players, because until 1969, the Mets had finished last or next to last in every season since the team was founded in 1962. Unfortunately for the Mets, the 1967 season did not bring the great plays expected. Ryan was often homesick and therefore missed much of the 1967 season due to illness, an arm injury, and service with the Army Reserves.

His marriage helped to improve Ryan's game during the 1968 season. Along with the improved playing ability Ryan achieved during that season, the New York Mets also improved as a team. The Mets added two key people to their pitching staff, Jerry Koosman and Tom Seaver, a strikeout leader in his own right from whom Ryan learned a great deal. With these two incidents, the Mets became positioned for their first-ever bid for the World Series in 1969. During the 1969 season, Ryan played as both a starting and relief pitcher, finishing the season with a six-win and three loss record. This type of finish soon became the norm for Ryan as he concentrated more on striking out batters than on winning games. Regardless, it was primarily Ryan's pitching abilities that took the New York Mets to the league championships that year and later the World Series. Ryan saved the Mets' bid for the World Series title when in the third game of the series, Ryan made the crucial plays needed to earn the win. The Mets went on to upset the Baltimore Orioles after five games. The New York Mets had finally done the impossible; what no professional commentator thought they could do. With the help of Ryan, the New York Mets had won their first World Series title since arriving in the National League.

Even with a world championship title to his credit Ryan still felt uncomfortable and disillusioned in New York and requested to be traded in 1971. Without much discussion, the Mets agreed to Ryan's request and traded him along with three other players to the California Angels. Because of this move, he was able to distance himself from the East and a climate and location he was never fond of. For Ryan and those three players, the New York Mets received Jim Fregosi, a third baseman. Once in California, Ryan blasted his way into superstar status. He stayed with the Angels for eight seasons, from 1972 through 1979.

With the help Ryan received from both the Mets and the Angels, he began to pitch in a much more controlled and compact fashion allowing for an unbelievably fast delivery across the plate. Ryan had finally reigned in his pitch to a truly skilled perfection of speed and balance. As a result, he also struck out more than three hundred batters for the first time. To be more specific, Ryan finished the 1972 season with 19 wins, 16 losses, and 329 strikeouts. With this feat accomplished, Ryan became only the second right-handed pitcher since 1946, when Bob Feller accomplished it, to strike out three hundred or more batters in a single season. With the close of the 1973 season, Ryan became the first-ever pitcher to have back-to-back over three hundred strikeout seasons. Striking out 383 hitters, Ryan set an all-time major league record.

Additionally, in the 1973 season, Ryan became only the fifth pitcher in baseball history to pitch two no-hit games in one season. His first no-hitter came against the Kansas City Royals on May 15. On July 15 against the Detroit Tigers, Ryan pitched his second no-hit game of 1973. The 1974 and 1975 seasons were also quite good for Ryan stat-wise. In the 1974 season, Ryan pitched his third no-hit game and completed a third season of over three hundred strikeouts. The 1975 season saw Ryan complete his fourth no-hit game. Ryan now became only the second pitcher in major league history to achieve this feat. Critics and opponents of Ryan and his games believed his career was all but over when in 1975 he underwent elbow surgery. This surgery usually spells the end for a pitcher, therefore such criticism was expected. Not wanting to stay away from the game he loved, Ryan reappeared on the baseball season larger than life in 1976. Ryan closed the 1976 season with 17 wins, 18 losses, and 327 strikeouts. Impressing doubters even more, Ryan closed his 1977 season with 19 wins, 16 losses, and 341 strikeouts. Again Ryan completed back-to-back over three hundred strikeout seasons.

Although Ryan played some of his best games with the California Angels, he still longed for his native Texas. His break came when at the end of the 1979 season he became a free agent. Ryan was immediately signed with the Houston Astros and became baseball's first pitcher to earn a million dollars a year. After taking some time to readjust to a newer pitching style introduced by the National League, Ryan showed off his adjustment by pitching his fifth no-hit game in 1981. Effectively breaking Koufax's record, Ryan, it was widely thought, was well on his way to setting even more major league records. Unfortunately for Ryan, rather than setting records, he failed to even match his own prior performances. Essentially, from 1984 until the 1987 season, Ryan was continuously placed on the disabled or the injured reserve list. Ryan rarely pitched a game during this time and has always felt that it was the worst time of his professional career.

The 1987 season saw not only a rejuvenated Ryan, but new records as well. His legendary durability and willingness to play despite great personal discomfort landed him his second ERA (Earned Run Average) title with a 2.76 average. Ryan's first ERA title was in 1981 in which he attained a 1.69 average. Additionally, Ryan became the first pitcher in baseball's history to attain 2,000 strikeouts in both the American League and the National League.

After completing his contract with the Astros, Ryan again became a free agent at the end of the 1987 season. He again was quickly picked up, this time by the Texas Rangers in time for the 1988 season. Ryan had hoped that perhaps with the Rangers, despite his age, he might have a chance at playing the World Series again. With only four and one-half games separating the Rangers from the division leader, Chicago, this possibility seemed probable. This desire had followed Ryan since his departure from the Mets. Although Ryan would not see a championship playoff with the Rangers, he did attain his sixth no-hit game and led the American League in strikeouts by the close of the 1990 regular season. Additionally, while playing for the Rangers, Ryan attained his record-setting seventh no-hit game against the Toronto Blue Jays.

The 1992 and 1993 seasons were full of injuries, and Nolan Ryan retired from the game he had served on the field for 27 years. He was the oldest player ever to play for the Texas Rangers.

At the end of his 27-year career in the major leagues, Ryan finished with 324 wins and 292 losses and an earned-run average of 3.19.

Following his retirement from playing, Ryan continued to be active in the sport, including having an ownership interest in two minor league teams and serving as a consultant to the Houston Astros. In 2008, he became team president for the Texas Rangers. Ryan was a member of the ownership group that purchased the Rangers in 2010. In 2011, he became CEO of the Rangers and, two years later, he gave up his title of president of the team. At the end of the 2013 season, he resigned as CEO and sold his Rangers ownership stake. Ryan joined the Astros organization as an executive adviser in 2014. He helped the Astros win a World Series title in 2017, but he resigned from the team amid front-office turmoil shortly after the end of the 2019 major league season.

Nolan Ryan was also majority owner and chairman of Express Bank of Alvin but sold his interest in 2005. He owned a restaurant in Three Rivers and served on the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission from 1995 to 2001.

Nolan Ryan wrote several autobiographies, including Throwing Heat: The Autobiography of Nolan Ryan (1988), written with Harvey Frommer; Miracle Man: Nolan Ryan, the Autobiography (1992), written with Jerry Jenkins; and Nolan Ryan: The Road to Cooperstown (1999), written with T. R. Sullivan and Mickey Herskowitz. He also collaborated on instructional guides, such as Pitching & Hitting (1977) and Nolan Ryan's Pitching Bible (1991).

Achievements

• Nolan Ryan was the greatest power pitcher of his era, and certainly, the greatest pitcher never to win the Cy Young award. His blazing fastball (consistently measured in excess of 100 miles per hour) and intensity on the mound made him one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball history. His extraordinary work ethic and perseverance became legendary, and his ability to strike out opposing batters made him a role model for thousands of aspiring pitchers. Consigned to playing on mediocre teams for his entire career, Ryan still managed to win 324 games, throw seven no-hitters, and strike out over 5,700 batters in his 27 years in the majors.
  
  Nolan Ryan was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999 in his first year of eligibility with 98.79% of the vote. That year, he ranked 41st on The Sporting News list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players and was elected to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. He was inducted into the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame in 2003 and named the Rangers' and Astros' Hometown Hero in 2006. Five years later, Nolan was inducted into the Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame.
  
  Ryan was also inducted by the Texas Trail of Fame and the Texas Cowboy Hall.

Works

More photos

• book

  • Kings of the Hill

    (The book presents an insightful look at some of the remar...)

    1999
  • Throwing Heat: The Autobiography of Nolan Ryan

    (An account of the twenty-year career of baseball's greate...)

    1988
  • Nolan Ryan: The Road to Cooperstown

    (The book presents a collection of anecdotes and stories b...)

    1999
  • Pitching & Hitting

    (Two famous practitioners of the hitting and pitching arts...)

    1977
  • Nolan Ryan's Pitcher's Bible

    (Nolan Ryan's Pitcher's Bible tells its readers the secret...)

    1991
  • Miracle Man: Nolan Ryan 1992

• movie

  • Fastball

    (Hank Aaron and Derek Jeter, with Kevin Costner narrating,...)

    2015

Politics

In his autobiography "Miracle Man" Nolan Ryan wrote that he voted for Jimmy Carter in 1976, but since then has generally identified as a Republican. He headlined a group of Republicans and Independents supporting a Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Texas. Nolan has also maintained a friendship with the Bush family.

In 1996 Ryan campaigned on behalf of Ron Paul in the election for Texas's 14th congressional district. On April 7, 2011, it was announced that Nolan Ryan would be a statewide chairman for Todd Staples' exploratory committee for lieutenant governor.

Views

Quotations: "It took me a while to figure that out and to realize what a gift that I had been given. And when I finally did, I dedicated myself to be the best pitcher I possibly could be, for as long as I possibly could be."

"I had the pleasure, as Robin said, to live a childhood dream as many young Americans and Puerto Rican children live that play youth baseball. And I feel honored and very thankful for that opportunity."

"One of the beautiful things about baseball is that every once in a while you come into a situation where you want to, and where you have to, reach down and prove something."

"Enjoying success requires the ability to adapt. Only by being open to change will you have a true opportunity to get the most from your talent."

"It helps if the hitter thinks you're a little crazy."

"I am going to spend my time today just thanking the people that played a role in my career, because I truly do believe that I was blessed by a lot of people that paths crossed mine as I went down the road in my career."

"My job is to give my team a chance to win."

"Everyone has limits. You just have to learn what your own limits are and deal with them accordingly."

"And I'm a believer that you take a negative and turn it into a positive, and as it turned out, it was one of the best things that ever happened to me. And so I do appreciate the Ranger staff and the Ranger organization for giving me that opportunity."

"I can honestly say it took two full years for me to get over the fact that I was no longer a baseball player."

"Baseball life is a tough life on the family."

"I came into the game when I broke into the major leagues, the minimum salary was seven thousand dollars, and I'd have to go home in the wintertime and get a job."

"And that's what makes this a great game, is the support and the commitment that the fans give the game."

"I feel very fortunate that I played for the four organizations I did."

"I always thought that there was going to be life after baseball, and so I designed that in my life I would have other interests after baseball that I would be able to step into. And I didn't realize the grip that baseball had on me and on my family."

"And when I went to Houston, they had a conditioning coach by the name of Gene Coleman. And that was the first time I had gone to an organization that had a program with a weight room and designed specifically for pitchers."

"For my children, they spent 15 to 20 years of their life in baseball. And Ruth and I spent so many years of our married life that that was our life. We knew nothing else."

"I like to refer to my years with the Angels as the foundation of my career."

"What man in his 40s would not like to look in the mirror and find Nolan Ryan?"

"And when I retired, trust me, not only did Nolan Ryan, but the entire Ryan family had withdrawals from baseball. And it was tough."

"And to play as long as I did and to have a family you have to be very blessed and I was with my wife Ruth. Ruth, I appreciate the job you did, and my three fine children, Reid, Reese, and Wendy."

"When I got traded to the California Angels, I really wasn't that excited about going to the Angels because it meant changing leagues and also a whole new set of teammates. But shortly after I got there I realized that it was one of the best things that ever happened to me."

"And then when I went to stay in '68, I can honestly say that I was not focused on my career and on what it took to be a major league pitcher and to be a starting pitcher."

"He was a very aggressive-type player. He always took the extra base. You knew to get him out you had to be on your best."

"My parents played a very big role in my life and as growing up as the last of six children I didn't realize the influence that my parents had on me."

"I think Roger is one of the fiercest competitors I've seen ... It reflects in the way he approaches his job and the way he carries himself on the mound. When he goes out there, his teammates know he's going to do everything in his power to help them win a ballgame."

"My boys thought he was special, because he would always go out of his way to talk to the kids and play with them and that makes him extremely special to them because a lot of players wouldn't do that."

"We do it both as a business and out of love of the game of baseball."

Personality

Nolan Ryan has an estimated net worth of $60 million dollars.

Physical Characteristics: Nolan Ryan is 188 cm (6' 2") tall and weighs 88 kg (194.01 lbs).

On April 25, 2000, Ryan suffered a heart attack, and had to receive a double coronary bypass.

Quotes from others about the person

• Thurman Munson: "Everybody is so sensitive, you'd think Nolan Ryan was pitching."
  
  Reggie Jackson: "Every hitter likes fastballs just like everybody likes ice cream. But you don't like it when someone's stuffing it into you by the gallon. That's how you feel when (Nolan) Ryan's throwing balls by you."
  
  Dick Sharon: "He's baseball's exorcist, scares the devil out of you."
  
  Larry Sherry: "If you let him get a head of steam by the seventh inning, you can't hit him. You can't even see him."
  
  Rickey Henderson: "It gave me no chance. He just blew it (strikeout number five-thousand) by me. But it's an honor. I'll have another paragraph in all the baseball books. I'm already in the books three or four times."
  
  Jim Abbott: "I wanted to be like Nolan Ryan. I didn't want to be like Pete Gray... And I don't want kids to be like me because I have one hand. I want kids to be like Jim Abbott because he's a baseball pitcher at Michigan and he won the Big Ten Championship game, and not because I can field a bunt and throw to first."
  
  George Bush: "Nolan (Ryan) says throw it high because amateurs get out there, no matter how good they are, and throw it in the dirt. You get more of an 'oooooo' if you heave it over the head instead of going with the fast-breaking deuce into the dirt."
  
  Reggie Jackson: "You don't face (Nolan) Ryan without your rest. He's the only guy I go against that makes me go to bed before midnight."

Interests

• family bank, beef business

• Sport & Clubs

  baseball

Connections

Ryan married Ruth Holdorff on June 25, 1967. They have three children - Reid, Reese, and Wendy.

Father:

Lynn Nolan Ryan, Sr.

(October 11, 1907 - July 25, 1970)

Mother:

Martha (Hancock) Ryan

(January 25, 1913 - January 18, 1990)

Spouse:

Ruth Elsie Holdruff

(born January 10, 1949)

Son:

Reese Ryan

Son:

Reid Ryan

(born November 21, 1971)

Daughter:

Wendy Ryan

Friend:

George Bush

References

• Nolan Ryan: Hall of Fame Baseball Superstar For more than twenty-five years, Nolan Ryan thrilled audiences with his sizzling 100-plus mile-per-hour fastballs. Ryan set numerous records, including the career mark for most strikeouts and no-hitters. Follow along with the author as he weaves the tale of Ryan's Hall-of-Fame journey.
  2013
• Nolan Ryan: The Making of a Pitcher This comprehensive biography of Nolan Ryan follows the baseball legend's journey from the start of his professional career in 1965 to his retirement in 1993. Hall of Famers, journeymen, clubhouse workers, coaches, and trainers offer their own unique take on Ryan in this book filled with never-before-told anecdotes and personal recollections and peppered with eyewitness accounts of his greatest games.
  2014