Sandy Koufax

Sanford "Sandy" Koufax (born Sanford Braun on December 30, 1935 in Brooklyn, New York) is a former left-hand pitcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers from 1955 to 1966.

Pre-professional career

He was the only child of Jack Braun, a salesman, and Evelyn Lichtenstein, a CPA, both Jewish, who lived in the Borough Park section of Brooklyn. Koufax's parents divorced by the time he was three. Jack Braun had little contact with his son after the divorce and eventually stopped paying child support and alimony.

Related Topics:
CPA - Jew - Borough Park - Alimony

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Sandy and his mother lived with his grandparents, Max and Dora Lichtenstein, next door to comedian Buddy Hackett. When Sandy turned nine his mother married Irving Koufax, a neighborhood lawyer; Irving had a daughter named Edie from a previous marriage. Although Irving never legally adopted Koufax, Sandy always referred to Irving as his father and took on his last name. Shortly after the marriage, the family moved to Rockville Centre, Long Island, and in June 1949 the family returned to Brooklyn, this time to the Bensonhurst neighborhood.

Related Topics:
Buddy Hackett - Lawyer - Rockville Centre - Long Island - Bensonhurst

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As a youth, Koufax's first love was basketball. In 1951 a coaches' strike shut down scholastic sports in public schools all over the city. Koufax and his friends joined the Jewish Community House of Bensonhurst basketball team and led them to the first Jewish Welfare Board championship. Koufax's baseball career began with the Tomahawks in the "Pop" Secol's Ice Cream League; they already had a pitcher, so Koufax played catcher, using a right-handed glove turned inside-out because he was left-handed.

Related Topics:
Basketball - Jewish Community House of Bensonhurst - Jewish Welfare Board - Catcher

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In 1953, Koufax's senior season at Lafayette High School, he was named team captain of the basketball team. During that same year, the New York Knicks scrimmaged the local high school teams in clinics sponsored by the Police Athletic League. On February 6, 1953 they played one such game against Lafayette High School. Koufax played center against future Basketball Hall of Famer, Harry "The Horse" Gallatin. Koufax did so well against the pros that they resorted to injuring him when he went for a rebound by "sandwiching" him between Gallatin and another future Hall of Famer, Dick McGuire.

Related Topics:
Team captain - New York Knicks - Police Athletic League - February 6 - 1953 - Center - Basketball Hall of Fame - Harry "The Horse" Gallatin - Rebound - Dick McGuire

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Koufax, while playing first base for Lafayette, was spotted by Milt Laurie, the father of two of Koufax's teammates and coach of the Coney Island Sports League's Parkviews. Laurie got his sons to recruit Koufax to pitch for the Parkviews. Laurie would keep Koufax overnight in order to make sure he got to the baseball field on time and would take Koufax to the Lafayette High School field to work on his pitching control.

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Despite his diverse athletic ability, Koufax started at the University of Cincinnati in the fall of 1953 without an athletic scholarship. He was a walk-on for the freshman basketball team, and a complete unknown to coach Ed Jucker. After watching him practice, Jucker got him awarded a work-study scholarship. Koufax lived off-campus and joined the Pi Lambda Phi fraternity.

Related Topics:
University of Cincinnati - Scholarship - Ed Jucker - Pi Lambda Phi - Fraternity

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The university's baseball team went to New Orleans and Florida during the spring break, which sounded better than spending it in Bensonhurst, so Koufax and his roommate, Norman Lefkowitz, decided to try out for the team. Koufax threw so hard during tryouts that two catchers, Bill Hall and Joe Miller, quit the team rather than catch for him. Finally, Danny Gilbert volunteered to catch for him; both Koufax and Gilbert made the 1954 varsity team. That season, Koufax went 3–1 with a 2.81 ERA to go along with 51 strikeouts and 30 walks, in 32 innings. Bill Zinser, a scout for the Brooklyn Dodgers, sent the Dodgers front office a glowing report which was promptly lost.

Related Topics:
New Orleans - Florida - Spring break - 1954 - Varsity team - ERA - Strikeout - Walks - Bill Zinser

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Koufax's first tryout was with the New York Giants at the Polo Grounds. Unfortunately, he forgot his glove and threw several pitches over the catcher's head. His next tryout was for the Pittsburgh Pirates at Forbes Field. During the tryout, Koufax threw so hard that he broke the thumb of his catcher, Sam Narron, the bullpen coach for the Pirates. Branch Rickey, then general manager of the Pirates, told his scout Clyde Sukeforth that Koufax had the "greatest arm I've ever seen".{{ref|brickey}} The Pirates offered Koufax $15,000, but he turned them down.

Related Topics:
New York Giants - Polo Grounds - Pittsburgh Pirates - Forbes Field - Sam Narron - Branch Rickey - General manager - Clyde Sukeforth

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Dodgers scout Al Campanis had been told about Koufax from a local sporting goods store owner. After seeing Koufax pitch at Lafayette High School, Campanis immediately invited him to a try out at Ebbets Field. Dodgers manager Walter Alston and scouting director Fresco Thompson watched as Campanis assumed the hitter's stance while Koufax started throwing. Campanis later said that "the hair on my arms rose, and the only other time that happened was the first time I saw the Sistine Chapel".{{ref|campanis}} The Dodgers signed Koufax for $20,000—a $14,000 signing bonus and a $6,000 salary. Koufax accepted this offer, planning to use the signing bonus as tuition for architecture school just in case baseball did not work out.

Related Topics:
Al Campanis - Ebbets Field - Walter Alston - Fresco Thompson - Sistine Chapel - Signing bonus - Architecture

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