From Prison to the Ballyard: Ron LeFlore
Ron LeFlore didn't play organized baseball until 1971, when he joined a team of fellow inmates and quickly became the best player at the State Prison of Southern Michigan in Jackson. He was serving 5-15 years there after being convicted of armed robbery.
While starring in the slammer, a fellow prisoner had a contact outside who knew Tigers' manager Billy Martin. In May 1973, Martin came to the prison and the team arranged a tryout for LeFlore. A year later LeFlore was wearing a new uniform, having made the transition from prison to big league outfielder with his hometown team, the Detroit Tigers. He became a starting outfielder in 1975 and by 1976 he was an All-Star.
After starting as a petty thief (he stole $1,500 from a grocery store as a 12-year old), LeFlore starred as an accomplished base thief. In 1978 he lead the American League with 68 stolen bases. Two years later, he led the National League when he swiped 97 with Montreal.
In addition to leading both leagues in stolen bases, he played nine years in the majors and finished with a career batting average of .288. His incredible story became a book, "Breakout: From Prison to the Big Leagues". In 1978 it became a movie ("One in a Million") starring LeVar Burton.
LeFlore's storybook life has once again taken an unfortunate turn of events, and if a sequel to the movie were to come out today it could be titled "From Tragedy to Triumph and Back Again."
LeFlore's name resurfaced on September 28, 1999 when the Tigers honored their former stars at the final game at Tiger Stadium. Shortly after removing his uniform, sheriff's deputies arrested him for failure to pay $57,000 in back child support. Apparently, a warrant had been issued for LeFlore's arrest in the mid-90s, but the ex-player and felon had moved to Florida, where he was able to avoid charges until returning for the ceremonies.
In a hearing the next day, LeFlore testified that he was unemployed, disabled with bad knees and a hip, and supporting his family on a $20,000-a-year major league baseball pension.
Work on your weak points!
