Background

Sandy Koufax was born Sanford Braun on December 30, 1935, in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States, to Jack and Evelyn Braun, though his parents soon divorced. As a youngster, Koufax stayed with his Jewish grandparents, Max and Dora Lichtenstein, while his mother, an accountant, worked.

Education

When Koufax was nine, his mother married a lawyer named Irving Koufax. Young Sandy took his stepfather's last name and pretty much severed ties with his birth father.

Growing up, Koufax's true love was basketball. At Brooklyn's Lafayette High School, the 6-foot-2 Koufax dominated the league. With his Herculean arm, Koufax could launch a basketball the length of the court to a teammate waiting under the basket. Koufax was a shy kid who preferred staying out of the spotlight, yet his muscles continually drew him in.

Though Koufax loved basketball, he dabbled in baseball and played in a sandlot league. Legend has it that when Koufax pitched, his teammates sat down because they didn't expect any hits: Koufax either walked the batters with his wild pitches or struck them out with his fastball.

After graduation from Lafayette High School, Koufax headed to the University of Cincinnati in 1953, hoping to study architecture. He made the basketball team and earned a partial scholarship from coach Ed Jucker. Jucker also coached the baseball team and by the spring of 1954, Koufax was on the roster. That season, Koufax had 51 strikeouts in 32 innings, coupled with 30 walks.

Career

On December 14, 1954, the eighteen-year-old Koufax was signed to a major league contract by Brooklyn Dodgers team president Walter O'Malley. Because he had received a substantial $14,000 signing bonus, Koufax was kept on the Dodgers' twenty-five-man major league roster and never pitched in the minor leagues. From 1955 to 1958, he pitched sporadically, and because he had pitched sparingly in high school and during his lone season at the University of Cincinnati, Koufax was placed in the unenviable position of having to learn his craft against major league hitters.

His rising fastball, estimated by scouts to range between 95 and 100 miles per hour, allowed him to post impressive strikeout totals even in his formative seasons. But his wildness also led to high walk and hit totals, and his inconsistency in his early years is best reflected by his mediocre winning percentage. When the Dodgers moved from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in 1958, Koufax responded to the change in scenery by going 8-6 in 1959 and registering 173 strikeouts in 153.1 innings, an average of 10 strikeouts per 9 innings. On August 31, Koufax struck out 18 San Francisco Giants to tie Bob Feller's major league record, helping the Dodgers to the World Series against the Chicago White Sox.

In 1961, on the advice of Dodgers catcher Norm Sherry, Koufax altered his mental approach to pitching by not trying to overthrow and strike out every hitter. He also fine-tuned his pitching mechanics, working with Dodgers pitching coach Joe Becker and scout Kenny Meyers to tighten his delivery to get a better view of home plate. Koufax responded to this coaching by going 18-13 in 1961 and leading the National League in strikeouts with 269.

In 1962, Koufax threw his first no-hitter, a 5-0 win over the New York Mets on June 30, and the 1963 season saw Koufax become the dominant pitcher in baseball. Relying on a rising fastball and sweeping curveball, he led the National League with a 25-5 record, a 1.88 earned run average (ERA), and 306 strikeouts in 311 innings. On May 11, he threw his second no-hitter when he beat the San Francisco Giants 8-0. Leading the Dodgers to the National League pennant, Koufax was named the game one starter in the World Series against the two-time defending world champion New York Yankees. Opposing Yankees ace Edward "Whitey" Ford in Yankee Stadium, Koufax established a then-Series record with 15 strikeouts in a 5-2 victory. Koufax also beat Ford in game four, allowing the Dodgers to sweep the Yankees.

In 1964, injury kept Koufax from winning twenty games for the second time in three seasons, but despite the onset of arthritis in his pitching arm, he threw his third no-hitter, a 3-0 win in Philadelphia on June 4. In 1965, Koufax embarked on one of the greatest pitching campaigns in major league history when he went 26-8 with a 2.04 ERA and a National League record of 382 strikeouts in 335.2 innings. He threw a perfect game on September 9 against the Cubs, winning 1-0. Teamed with right-handed ace Don Drysdale in a one-two pitching combination unmatched in major league history, Koufax helped carry the Dodgers to another National League pennant.

Koufax made national headlines when he refused to pitch game one of the 1965 World Series against the Minnesota Twins due to his observance of the Jewish holiday, Yom Kippur. Koufax's religious stand transformed him in the eyes of many from a great pitcher to a great man. After losing game two, Koufax recorded shutout wins in games five and seven, leading the Dodgers to their second Series win in three years. Koufax continued this mound dominance in 1966. Ignoring his increasingly painful arthritis, he posted career-best marks with 27 wins and a 1.73 ERA. Both marks were again league bests, and he led the National League in strikeouts for the fifth straight time, posting 317.

With Drysdale suffering a subpar season, Koufax shouldered the burden of leading the light-hitting Dodgers to a second straight league pennant and into another World Series. No one knew at the time, but game two of the series, on October 6, 1966, marked Koufax's final mound appearance in the major leagues. He was scheduled to start game five in Baltimore, but the Orioles swept the Dodgers in four straight.

On November 18, Koufax stunned the sports world by announcing his retirement due to arthritis. Over his final five seasons, he had gone 111-34 with 100 complete games and 33 shutouts and pitched 4 no-hitters, including a perfect game. He became the first pitcher to strike out 300 batters in three different seasons and twice struck out 18 hitters in a game. He set another major league record by leading the league in ERA for five straight seasons. Despite the presence of such all-time greats as Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, and Roberto Clemente, Koufax was named Player of the Decade in the 1960s.

Koufax celebrated his thirty-first birthday by signing a lucrative ten-year contract to serve as a major league baseball analyst for NBC. He left NBC following the 1972 season but returned to baseball in 1979 as a pitching coach for the Dodgers. He remained with the Dodgers through 1990 and then left the team to serve as a volunteer coach in various major league camps. Koufax returned to the Dodger organization in 2004 when the Dodgers were sold to Frank McCourt. On January 23, 2013, the Dodgers hired Koufax as a Special Advisor to team Chairman Mark Walter. He worked with the pitchers during spring training and consulted during the season.

As for Koufax's acting career, it's worth noting, that, from 1959 to 1962, he appeared in movies. In 1959, he acted as Ben Cassidy in the episode "Too Smart to Live" of the Western Shotgun Slade. In 1960, he played the role of Johnny in one episode of the ABC/Warner Brother Colt .45. Sandy also played a minor role in two other ABC/WB series - 77 Sunset Strip and Bourbon Street Beat. In 1962, Koufax played himself in an episode of the CBS TV series Dennis the Menace. He also played himself in Michael Shane's NBC detective series Strike Out. In 1963, Koufax, along with several other Dodgers players, appeared in an episode of Mr. Ed tv-series.

Achievements

• Sandy Koufax has been hailed as one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history. He was named an NL all-star six consecutive times, and broke Christy Mathewson's 58-year-old NL strikeout record with 269. Sandy won the NL Most Valuable Player (MVP) award in 1963 and the NL Cy Young Award in 1963 and 1965. He led the Dodgers to World Series titles in both 1963 and 1965, winning World Series MVP honours on both occasions. In his last season, 1966, he took home his third Cy Young Award.
  
  Koufax also won the NL Triple Crown for pitchers by leading the NL in wins, strikeouts, and earned run average. Despite his comparatively short career, Koufax's 2,396 career strikeouts ranked 7th in history as of his retirement.
  
  In his first year of eligibility in 1972, Sandy Koufax was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. In 1990 he was inducted into the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. In 1999, The Sporting News placed Koufax at number 26 on its list of "Baseball's 100 Greatest Players." He was also named as one of the 30 players on the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.
  
  In 2010, Koufax was included among a group of prominent Jewish Americans at the first White House reception in honor of Jewish American Heritage Month.

Works

More photos

• book

  • Koufax

    (Autobiography of the great Dodgers pitcher, assisted by a...)

    1966

• TV series

  • Dennis the Menace

    (Dennis & Tommy get Mr. Quigley to coach their baseball te...)

    1962

Religion

Koufax is a secular Jew. In 1965, he refused to pitch Game 1 of the 1965 World Series because it fell on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year in Judaism.

Views

Koufax serves as a member of the advisory board of the Baseball Assistance Team, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping former Major League, Minor League, and Negro League players through financial and medical difficulties.

Quotations: "A guy that throws what he intends to throw, that's the definition of a good pitcher."

"I became a good pitcher when I stopped trying to make them miss the ball and started trying to make them hit it."

"I can't believe that Babe Ruth was a better player than Willie Mays. (Babe) Ruth is to baseball what Arnold Palmer is to golf. He got the game moving. But I can't believe he could run as well as (Willie) Mays, and I can't believe he was any better an outfielder."

"I don't regret for one minute the twelve years I've spent in baseball, but I could regret one season too many. I've got a lot of years to live after baseball and I would like to live them with the complete use of my body. I tried to do a consistently good job - that was my goal. I loved playing. I loved the game. And, I'll miss it. My only regret is leaving baseball. I still don't know how much I am going to miss it, but I know I am going to miss a lot of things."

"In the end, it all comes down to talent. You can talk all you want about intangibles, I just don't know what that means. Talent makes winners, not intangibles. Can nice guys win? Sure, nice guys can win - if they're nice guys with a lot of talent. Nice guys with a little talent finish fourth and nice guys with no talent finish last."

"I think it's incredible because there were guys like (Willie) Mays and (Mickey) Mantle and Henry Aaron who were great players for ten years... I only had four or five good years."

"If I could straighten it out (his golf swing), I'd be pitching at Dodger Stadium tonight."

"If there was any magic formula, it was getting to pitch every fourth day."

"People who write about spring training not being necessary have never tried to throw a baseball."

"Pitching is the art of instilling fear."

"Show me a guy who can't pitch inside and I'll show you a loser."

"The game has a cleanness. If you do a good job, the numbers say so. You don't have to ask anyone or play politics. You don't have to wait for the reviews."

"The only time I really try for a strikeout is when I'm in a jam. If the bases are loaded with none out, for example, then I'll go for a strikeout. But most of the time I try to throw to spots. I try to get them to pop up or ground out. On a strikeout, I might have to throw five or six pitches, sometimes more if there are foul-offs. That tires me. So I just try to get outs. That's what counts - outs. You win with outs, not strikeouts."

"There is among us a far closer relationship than the purely social one of a fraternal organization because we are bound together not only by a single interest but by a common goal. To win. Nothing else matters, and nothing else will do."

Personality

Sandy Koufax is not only remembered for his incredible pitching skills, but also for his standing up for his beliefs.

After leaving baseball, Koufax lived a reclusive, quiet life, making his home in Vero Beach, Florida. He refused to cash in on his fame, appearing rarely in public. Koufax is a modest man who has tried to be forgotten. He tells authors not to write about him.

Physical Characteristics: Sandy Koufax is 6' 2" (188 cm) tall and weighs 210 lbs (95 kg).

Sandy suffered from a type of arthritis.

Quotes from others about the person

• Ernie Banks: "Sandy was a special problem for me because he possessed exceptional control, speed and a great curveball. He was highly disciplined, extremely committed and a very private person. These qualities enabled him to concentrate on his profession without a lot of unnecessary distractions."
  
  Ernie Banks: "He's the greatest pitcher I ever saw. I can still see that big curveball. It had a great arc on it, and he never bounced it in the dirt. Sandy's curve had a lot more spin than anybody else's - it spun like a fastball coming out of his hand - and he had the fastball of a pure strikeout pitcher. It jumped up at the end. The batter would swing half a foot under it. Most of the time we knew what was coming, because he held his hands closer to his head when he threw a curveball, but it didn't matter. Even though he was tipping off his pitches, you still couldn't hit him."
  
  Buzzie Bavasi: "You can learn a lot about the problems of journalism by studying the printed record of the life of Sandy Koufax. As far as I am concerned, nobody since Rudolph Valentino ever had as many myths, legends and pure balderdash written about him as Sandy. The reason is simple: Sandy is a warm, friendly, honest, intelligent human being, one of the finest human beings I have ever known, but the truth is he was never very colorful. In an age when self-promotion has been raised to a fine art, Sandy mastered the fine art of quiet effectiveness. He spoke clearly and briefly, and he did not go into lurid details about how he struck out this batter with a clever fastball on the inside corner when the batter had been expecting a slider, or how he crossed up the offense by swinging away in the eighth inning when they were expecting him to bunt, or how he expected to win even more games next year, or how he intended to murder them in the World Series with his high hard ones. A Billy Loes he was not. And as far as his private life was concerned, Sandy kept that completely personal and confidential."
  
  Whitey Herzog: "We need just two players to be a contender. Just Babe Ruth and Sandy Koufax."
  
  Ron Perranoski: "If there was one game I had to win and I could pick any pitcher in any era, I'd pick Sandy. I'd sit in the bullpen and watch him paint that outside corner with a 95 mile-per-hour fastball and throw curves that looked like they were dropping out of the third deck. I'd think, 'I'm gonna relieve this guy? With my stuff?'"
  
  Willie Stargell: "Getting a hit off Koufax is like trying to eat soup with a fork."
  
  Harry Walker: "Too bad about Koufax's arm. He can't shave. Or brush his hair. All he can do is pitch."

Interests

• Sport & Clubs

  basketball

Connections

In 1969 Sandy Koufax married Anne Widmark. The couple divorced in 1982. Three years later he married Kimberly Francis. Their marriage lasted until 1998. Koufax is currently married to Jane Purucker Clarke. He has no children.

Father:

Jack Braun

(February 28, 1909 - March 9, 1986)

Mother:

Evelyn Braun

(January 25, 1907 - July 1980)

Spouse:

Jane Purucker Clarke

ex-spouse:

Anne Widmark

ex-spouse:

Kimberly Francis

Friend:

Fred Wilpon

(born November 22, 1936)

Fred Wilpon is an American real estate developer, former baseball executive, and the majority owner of the New York Mets.

References

• Sandy Koufax: A Lefty's Legacy The instant bestseller about the baseball legend and famously reclusive Dodgers' pitcher Sandy Koufax, from award-winning former Washington Post sportswriter Jane Leavy.
  2002
• You Never Heard of Sandy Koufax?! In this striking picture book biography, an old-timer tells his readers what made Sandy Koufax such an amazing baseball player.
  2009
• Sandy Koufax: Lefty Legend Sandy Koufax went from dreaming of playing in the NBA to pitching perfect games for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Learn how the left-handed Koufax honed his throwing arm, brought the Dodgers a World Series, and more.
  2020
• Koufax In Koufax, Edward Gruver tells the life story of Sandy Koufax, a man many consider to be the greatest left-handed pitcher of all time. Gruver includes extensive interviews with the player's childhood friends, Brooklyn Dodgers teammates, opponents, front office personnel, and sports journalists who covered his career.
  2000
• Koufax Throws a Curve: The Los Angeles Dodgers at the End of an Era, 1964-1966 A book by Brian M. Endsley.
  2018
• Black and Blue: Sandy Koufax, the Robinson Boys, and the World Series That Stunned America The author of The Long Ball revisits the drama of the 1966 World Series in which the underdog Baltimore Orioles take on the favored Los Angeles Dodgers.
  2006