Bob Feller - Early Life

Early Life

Feller was born and raised in Van Meter, Iowa. His father, William, ran the 360-acre (150 ha; 0.56 sq mi) family farm, and his mother, Lena, was a registered nurse and a teacher. His sister, Marguerite, played for the girls' basketball team at Van Meter High School, and was the Iowa state ping-pong champion. Feller played catch daily with his father, and at eight years of age, had learned to throw a curve ball; by age nine he could throw a ball 270 feet (82 m). To assist his son, the senior Feller switched to growing a less labor intensive crop, wheat, instead of corn, to allow his son to have more time to play baseball. Originally the Feller's were Roman Catholics but became Methodists after Feller's father was reprimanded by their parish priest for letting him play on Sundays.

When Feller was 12 years old he began to play American Legion Baseball in the nearby town of Adel. At 13 years old, his father felled an estimated 20 oak trees on the family farm to build a baseball diamond. The diamond was named Oak View Park and was complete with a pitching mound, scoreboard and concessions area. Feller and other players formed a team named the Oakviews, which consisted of various semi-pro and high school ballplayers. Feller primarily played as a shortstop and outfielder and emulated Rogers Hornsby's batting stance. He began pitching for the Oakviews at age 15 after a starting pitcher was injured and continued to play American Legion baseball. His catcher during that time was Nile Kinnick, who later became a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.

Feller credited his arm strength and ball speed to milking cows, picking corn, and baling hay. He recalled his childhood fondly: "What kid wouldn't enjoy the life I led in Iowa? Baseball and farming, and I had the best of both worlds." The family's farm is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Feller attended Van Meter High School and was a starting pitcher for the school's baseball team while he continued to play on the Farmers Union team in the American Amateur Baseball Congress, going 25–4 for Farmers Union one season. He also was the starting center for the high school basketball team. By 16 years of age, Feller was judged to possess a major league quality fastball, and scouts traveled to Dayton, Ohio to watch him in the annual national baseball tournament. After the game, multiple big league clubs offered signing bonuses, but at that point he had already been signed to a professional contract with the Cleveland Indians.