Harmon Killebrew: A Brief Biography

The life of Harmon Killebrew
It was the bottom of the 9th and the killer was up. Harmon Killebrew was born on June 29th 1936 in Payette, Idaho. For most of his youth he worked as a farmworker. He was an avid athlete and loved playing football and Baseball for Payette High school. Killebrew earned twelve varsity sports letters while he was in high school. In his senior year Killebrew earned the title as an all-American quarterback playing for Payette High school and later on receiving an athletic scholarship offer from the University of Oregon to play football but declined the offer to play for them. In the 1950s Idaho senator told Washington Senators owner Clark Griffith that Killebrew who at the time was playing for a local semi pro team was hitting a .847 batting average. Killebrew later that year signed with the
During the Franchise first year Killebrew was named team captain he quickly to on this role by hitting forty six home runs and breaking the single season home run record. Later that year in July Killebrew entered the Home run Contest where he hit twenty home runs to win the contest. In the following Year Killebrew broke the Twins single season hitting record again by hitting forty eight homeruns and by this time he had been selected to play in at least five all-star games playing at first base. Towards the end of the season Killebrew was selected to win the Most Valuable Player Award. In 1971 Killbrew appeared in his last All-Star game. In December of 1974 Killebrew was given the choice of either staying with the twins as a coach and be a batting instructor, managing the Twins triple A team or be released. Killebrew decided it was best to be released ending his twenty one seasons with the Twins. In March 1976 after being released from the Kansas City royals he announced his retirement and also said that he would become the Twins announcer for home