Early Life
Monte attended the Bellefonte Academy in the early 1870s and, at 13 years of age, he was sent to Pennsylvania State University. In his short time there, he helped jump start a baseball program and is often credited for developing the first curve ball. However, he was kicked out of school for pushing an upperclassman who attempted to haze him down a flight of stairs and stealing chickens.
The following year, in 1874, his parents James and Ruth died. He tried to make it as a travelling salesman, but when that proved unsuccessful, he returned to his hometown. It was there that he re-discovered baseball. In 1878, the semi-pro team that he was playing for folded, which opened the door for him to move on to a new opportunity. He was offered a contract to pitch for the Providence Grays of the still new National League, an all professional major league that had begun its operations in 1876.
Read more about this topic: John Montgomery Ward
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