Image source: biography.com [1]
Nolan Ryan completed 27 seasons as a Major League Baseball pitcher before retiring in 1993, the longest career of any major league baseball player. He had always stood out as an athlete, even as early as seven years old when his father bought him his first baseball glove. In high school, Ryan was both a top basketball and baseball player. But his academic status was not as successful as athletic skill. Ryan’s dyslexia proved to be just as tough as the sports he played.
Ryan recounts that one of his high school teachers thought he “was stupid” and wanted to give him a failing grade- which wouldn’t have been too far below what he typically got in school. Ryan commonly received Cs and Ds, his worst subject being spelling. He was often shy in the classroom and regularly spent his time practicing sports rather than his schoolwork. Upon graduating high school, Ryan immediately signed with the New York Mets. It wasn’t until Ryan was an adult that he was diagnosed with and recognized his dyslexia. His career in the major leagues wasn’t affected by his learning disability though, and he went on to lead the league’s no-hitter record and became inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999.
Check out this article [2] to read more about Nolan Ryan’s successful career and story.
