Harmon Killebrew, 1936–2011

In 1963, Sports Illustrated profiled an up-and-coming slugger, Harmon Killebrew, who was beginning to gain attention for his moon-shot home runs. Looking for an intriguing angle on his subject, the reporter asked Killebrew if he had any unusual hobbies. “Just washing

the dishes, I guess,” Killebrew replied.

Born on an Idaho farm, Killebrew credited the chores he did growing up for his prodigious strength, said The Washington Post. Lifting 10-gallon milk cans on and off a truck, he said, “will put muscles on you even if you’re not trying.” Signed to the Washington Senators on the recommendation of Idaho Sen. Herman Welker, he hit 42 homers in his first full season with the team, in 1959. He hit 31 more in 1960, “before the team was uprooted and turned into the Minnesota Twins.” In Minneapolis, he set still-unbeaten team records in 1969, with 49 home runs, 140 RBIs, and 149 walks.

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Sportswriters tried to saddle him with the nickname “Killer,” but he was too gentle a soul for it to stick, said Sports Illustrated. He always had time to sign autographs for fans, and his former teammate Rod Carew called him “a consummate professional who treated everyone from the brashest of rookies to the groundskeepers to the ushers in the stadium with the utmost respect.” He chided younger players who signed autographs with illegible squiggles. Kids wouldn’t treasure the ball if they couldn’t tell who had signed it, he said.

An evangelist for hospice care, Killebrew was diagnosed late last year with esophageal cancer. He died a few days after being admitted to an Arizona hospice.