William Howard Mays Jr. was born on May 6, 1931, in Westfield, Alabama, the son of a steelworker who played in the midfield of the local semi-pro team in the Birmingham Industrial League (a professional league independent of Major League Baseball).
May’s mother, Ann, was a high school track star, and it was clear from an early age that Willie had inherited his parents’ athletic talents.
According to his father, William Howard Mays Sr., young Willie learned to walk when he was six months old and shortly after the two midfielders played each other, the father tutored the boy in the basics of the game that he would be one. day make him famous.
Willie May’s parents divorced when he was only three years old, but Willie continued to live with his father, which meant he continued to play baseball. It didn’t take long for Mays to realize that baseball offered him a way out of the steel mills, and later admitted that given the choice, he always preferred playing ball to doing schoolwork.
In addition to playing ball constantly, Mays would sit on the sidelines with his father’s Industrial League teammates and listen to baseball strategy and technique, absorb the subtleties of the game, and learn to be comfortable in a competitive environment. At the age of thirteen, he was playing on a semi-professional team called the Gray Sox.
How old is Willie Mays?
As of 2023, William Howard Mays Jr. is 92 years old hall of famer who grew up in Westfield, Alabama. Married Mae Louise Allen in 1971 after he got divorced from his first marriage with Marguerite Wendell Chapman in 1956.
Despite his age, he is still a strong Hall of Famer and has been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame as well. He definitely holds many records, which include being named “The Greatest Living Slugger” by The Sporting News and also the second-highest all-time slugging percentage.
In honor of the 91-year-old baseball icon, make sure to add Mays Jr. to your must-watch list for this year’s MLB season.
