Early Life
Larsen was born in Michigan City, Indiana. Larsen's family moved to San Diego, California in 1944, where his mother became a housekeeper and his father worked as a department store salesman.
Larsen attended Point Loma High School where he was a member of the basketball and baseball team. He was selected for the All-Metro Conference team as a basketball player, and was offered several college scholarships to play basketball.
In baseball, Larsen's ability for the local American Legion team caught the attention of St. Louis Browns scout Art Schwartz. Schwartz signed Larson to a contract to play for one of the Browns minor league teams in 1947, with Larsen receiving a $850 signing bonus ($8,847 in current dollar terms). Larsen, on why he signed with the Browns over attending college, later said that he was "never much with the studies".
Read more about this topic: Don Larsen
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