Lou Gehrig

Lou Gehrig was a very courageous man. He went from being very poor without much, to train himself to become one of the best ball players in history. Most kids back then dropped out of school at an early age, but Lou stayed in school to get an education and went to Columbia College. Gehrig never gave up with his game even when he was sick. When he got diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (later known as Lou Gehrig's disease), for as long as he could, he traveled with the team but eventually he couldn't travel with them anymore so he just went to the Yankee stadium as often as he could. Lou Gehrig was a hero because he was an inspiration to others. He never stopped trying when things got tough.

Lou Gehrig was born on June 19, 1903 in Yorkville New York. He lived with his mother and father Christina and Heinrich Gehrig. Lou was born in 1903, and Christina and Heinrich's first child died in 1906 from diphtheria. The second child died about a year after, and the third one died right after it was born. He was an unnamed child. The only one left was Lou who became an only child. Lou moved 3 times from Yorkville to Washington Heights, to Greenwich Village. Moving a few times was a little hard for Lou to keep adapting to a new place, but he managed. Lou loved sports from the beginning. He played football and baseball. They would get up and play ball at 5am in the morning before school. In 1920 the Commerce High school team was chosen to represent New York City in a championship game against Lane Tech in Chicago. Lou was one of the players chosen. He went to school to earn an education while most other kids dropped out of school. Lou Gehrig was also very poor. His mother and father (mainly mother) worked very, very hard and for a long time.

Lou Gehrig had hard times and challenges that could have stopped him dead in his path but he tried his hardest to keep going. As I said before, Lou Gehrig was very poor, for example he didn't own an overcoat until he was a grown man. Lou Gehrig helped raise money for his family by working many jobs. He worked many jobs, such as mowing lawns, running errands, and shoveling snow and in winter. He did not have the proper clothes because he often wore hand-me-downs. He taught himself how to play baseball. He was also a good student and got an education. When Lou had the first signs of ALS he began having poor seasons. Another problem was just having to deal with the disease itself. Those were Lou Gehrig's challenges and problems in his life.

Lou Gehrig made contributions like he helped his family a lot. He helped with the money issues. In the off season, Lou played ball with the local neighborhood kids. After he could no longer play baseball he took up a job offer on the New York City parole board to help the city. This job lasted barely over 1 year because that was when Lou could not work any job. Lou Gehrig had many records and highlights. In the year 1930 his career batting average got to .379 but with his post season games and the World Series his high was .545. In the end he played a total of 2,130 consecutive games. Lou Gehrig made many contributions and set records and highlights.

Gehrig received awards and recognitions and was a great inspiration to many others. In 1937 he was the first athlete to receive the distinguished key from the Young Men's Board of Trade. In 1939 they put a remembrance plaque in the Baseball Hall of Fame to remember and honor his achievements. Gehrig was also an inspiration for people to keep going and not to give up. Even when you have a fatal disease to keep going and to live life to the fullest that's possible. Lou Gehrig was courageous man and received awards and honors.

To know some more about Lou Gehrig you might want to know his character traits. The first one, you might have guessed, was his athletic ability. I say he is athletic because he played intense baseball. He also played football when he was a young boy. Gehrig would even play in the off season before spring training. The next one is bravery. He was brave because he worked hard when times were tough, money wise and clothing wise. Lou taught himself how to play ball but was also an excellent student. At age 33 he experienced the first signs of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. His disease would not get better but he fought it for four years. Lou Gehrig was also caring because he always looked out for and helped his mother and family. When he got married he gave the deed to his parents' house to his parents so they didn't have to pay for it anymore and his mother could finally stop working. Those are Lou Gehrig's character traits.

Here is a time line of Lou Gehrig's life and important parts in his life. In 1922 he got a scholarship to Columbia University. 1925 was Gehrig's first full season on the New York Yankees. 1926 Gehrig led the American League with 20 triplets. In 1927 Gehrig became the American League's Most Valuable Player (MYP). In 1932 Gehrig hit four home runs in a modern-era record. In 1933 Lou marries Eleanor Grace Twitchell, his first and only wife. In 1936 Gehrig lead the American League in home runs and runs scored. In 1938 Gehrig started experiencing the first signs of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. In 1939 Lou removed himself from the New York Yankees, ending his streak of 2,130 consecutive games. By December of that year he was entered into the Baseball Hall of Fame. In 1940 he was sworn in as a member of New York City's parole board. In 1941 Lou Gehrig died of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis later known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

Lou Gehrig is a hero because he was brave and strong. He was courageous to have to fight a disease that was slowly killing him and sadly he knew it. Gehrig was a supreme inspiration to others because he never gave up no matter what challenge he was facing. When Lou Gehrig spoke his farewell speech he said "today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth." This shows that Lou Gehrig wanted to live his life to the fullest before he died.