Early Years
Born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1921, Evers gained the nickname "Hoot" as a child when he was a devoted fan of the films of Richard “Hoot” Gibson, a popular cowboy who released nearly 75 short films during the first 10 years of Evers’ life.
Evers attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he was a star baseball player. He is still among the school's all-time leaders in triples. Evers was signed by the Detroit Tigers as an amateur free agent in 1941 and was considered one of the brightest prospects in baseball. After playing one major league game on September 16, 1941, Evers' baseball career was put on hold while he served four years in the military during World War II.
Evers returned to the Tigers in 1946, playing 76 games in center field, but missing half the season with a broken ankle.
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