Who's the earliest HOF you met in person?

[cubsfn01]

I haven't met any baseball hall of famers. The most famous baseball player I met was Paul ONeil. The oldest athletes I have ever met were football legends Deacon Jones and Merlin Olsen when I was a senior at Richmond High School in Indiana. They were super nice, but I did not know who they were at the time. If I knew then what I know now, I would have had so many questions.

[gregr2]

I've never met a HOFer or a non-HOFer. I need to get a life...

[peterb69]

I went to Ted Williams Baseball Camp in the mid 70's. My friend and I were walking back from a game to our bunk house and Ted was strolling across the field by himself straight towards us. My friend had a ball in his glove, I only had some paper, but Ted signed both. When the other kids saw Ted signing, they came running over but Ted told them sorry, no more autographs today.

I still have the piece of paper with his signature.

[SteveMitchell]

Visiting Earl Averill at his Snohomish, Washington home for the purpose of interviewing him for a Sports Scoop magazine article in January 1973 was my first meeting of a Hall of Famer - though he was not yet elected to the Hall of Fame.

At Earl's 1975 Hall of Fame induction a variety of older HoF'ers were met and/or spoken with (briefly) including: Edd Roush, Burleigh Grimes and Rube Marquard, among others.

A 1977 Washington State Sports Collectors Association show featured Earl Averill (HOF 1975), Johnny Mize (1981) and Indian Bob Johnson (20??) signing free autographs. And a 1982 Connecticut show headlined Ted Williams (reportedly his first-ever show) but Duke Snider stopped by to see Ted and should-be HoF'er Smoky Joe Wood was brought to the show by his son to visit with Ted.

Ah... the memories.

[CurtisFlood]

Bob Feller, Whitey Ford, Gaylord Perry, Fergie Jenkins. Might be missing a couple of guys.

[MVSNYC]

Whitey Ford, Lou Brock

[Mark]

Wow: Clark Griffith and Edd Roush!! Who here knew Tim Keefe and Bid McPhee? Earliest I can do is Pie Traynor, who used to be at a lot of games during the last days of Forbes and the first days of 3 Rivers Stadium. He was as approachable and friendly as could be.

[tachyonbb]

In the mid 50's I was allowed to tag along with my big brothers baseball team to go watch Creighton play. They played at Fontenelle park. Bob Gibson was pitching and struck out at least 2 guys every inning. My brothers coach knew Creighton's coach so after the game we were allowed on the field. I went up to Bob, shook his hand and congratulated him on a great game.

In the early 90's my wife (a doctor) was helping to organize a Diabetes awareness/education conference. She asked me to go pick up a Mr. Hunter and chauffeur him to his hotel and to the conference. I assumed it was some doctor. It was Jim "Catfish" Hunter. We talked about family and hunting. I took him to the airport the next morning and he gave me a signed baseball.

[BruceinGa]

Joe DiMaggio in or around 1961. He was doing a promotional tour for the Air Force Commissaries and visited our Little League association at Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi. He autographed my first baseman's mitt as well as a drawing of him in my copy of "Big Time Baseball".
He then wanted to hit a home run on our Little League field. The fence was 220' and his first swing was a ground ball down the first base line. His next swing was a hr.
Great memories!!

[tjb1952tjb]

Originally Posted by cubsfn01

I haven't met any baseball hall of famers. The most famous baseball player I met was Paul ONeil. The oldest athletes I have ever met were football legends Deacon Jones and Merlin Olsen when I was a senior at Richmond High School in Indiana. They were super nice, but I did not know who they were at the time. If I knew then what I know now, I would have had so many questions.

Look at that paw on Merlin Olson.......he was a beast. He was also one of the most articulate professional athelete, with varied interests away from the gridiron. Was saddened by his untimely passing.............

[Wildfireschulte]

When I moved to Clevelend in the early 1990's I met Bob Feller at a card show, then soonafter I met him at a bank branch opening, then a gas station opening, then the opening of an ice cream shop down the street - then a kid on my block started a lemonade stand and who was there signing? You guessed it, Bob Feller.