Ashburn, Richie
(19 March 1927–09 September 1997)
- Thomas W. Collins Jr.
Extract
Ashburn, Richie (19 March 1927–09 September 1997), baseball player, was born Don Richie Ashburn in Tilden, Nebraska, the son of Neil Ashburn, a machine-shop owner, and Genevieve Ashburn (maiden name unknown). A natural athlete, he later claimed that as a child he chased rabbits through the cornfields outside his small hometown: “I'd run alongside them and catch the fat ones.” While attending high school, he was a star catcher for a local American Legion baseball team and set a Nebraska state sprinting record for the 100-yard dash; his mark of 9.6 seconds stood for 25 years. He attracted the active interest of several major league baseball scouts. In 1944 he signed with the Cleveland Indians, but baseball commissioner ...
