FAN STORIES SUBMITTED:

I first learned of Don Rudolph in probably 1962. I was 12 and I remember being home and reading some of my baseball literature. At that time I was huge into autographs. We used to send out tons of requests for autographed pictures, and often got them. Those were exciting days. I read about Dons fan club and immediately joined.

We would go see and speak with him whenever he was in town to play the Angels. I remember him throwing his (yuk) chewing tobacco to us. Imagine how excited I was when I learned he lived in Granada Hills and me in Van Nuys (maybe 20 minutes away). We drove by his house but never knocked.

Coincidentally, for the past 25+ years, I have lived 5 minutes from that house. He would write me letters and even signed a birthday card one year. I still have ALL that stuff. Glad I found you.

Steve, age 60

I first met Don in the mid 1960s He was playing for the San Diego Padres in the triple A League then.
I was 12 0r 13 then and living with my mother in Vancouver B.C. Living without a father figure somehow Don came into my life and became a role model for me. Although we only spent one ball season knowing each other we became good friends in my eyes. He allowed me to travel with the team to the ballpark from the hotel on the private bus and he even got me into the dressing rooms so I could load my pockets with Candy. Once during warm up he asked me to jump over the low fence in the bleachers and we tossed the ball back a few times. I was the envy of every kid in the park that day.
One day he took me out to lunch and then we went bowling. He fired that ball down the lane so fast with his pitching arm that the manager of the place came over and asked him to take it easy. He just laughed and said OK
Although I never became a big ball player I did play in little league the next year (RF) and I have devoted one year to coaching a little league team. All this was due to the most wonderful guy I had ever known.
I have never spoken to anyone except my wife about him as its real personal to me. When I heard of his accident I was still in my teens and had always hoped to see him again. I went into a shell for over a year and never spoke of him again until now. I am glad he has a web page as he will never be forgotten in my life.
Thank you for letting me share this with someone

Regards Bruce 

Princeton, BC