The Luckiest Man: Lou Gehrig's Farewell Speech
Join us on Daily Sports History as we commemorate Lou Gehrig's heartfelt farewell speech on July 4, 1939. Explore the profound impact of his words, the legacy of the "Iron Horse," and how his bravery and humility continue to inspire generations. Discover why Gehrig's speech remains one of the most iconic moments in sports history.
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Speaker 1: In July nineteen thirty nine, the most iconic sports speech
ever given was done by Lou Gerrick after retiring a
few weeks earlier due to being diagnosed with ALS, a
debilitating disease that would slowly paralyzed you. Today, we're going
to give you a brief history and listen to the
recording of the speech so you may all be inspired
on this Independence Holiday. Welcome to Daily Sports History. I'm
Ethan Reese, your guide to a rapid deep dive into
sport's history every day now. Lou Gerrick was known as
the Iron Man in baseball. He played two thousand, one
hundred and thirty games, record that stood till it was
broken by Cal Ripken. But the ironic thing was, at
the age of thirty six, he took a deep slide
in his career. All his numbers started to dip. He
gripped the batter than he had ever done before, and
the game was more of a challenge, and he pulled
himself out of the lineup to go get a checkup
at the Mayo Clinic, where he's quickly diagnosed with ALS,
which later became known as Luke Grick's disease, and we
retired on June twenty first, nineteen thirty nine, and on
July fourth, the team held a Luke Gyerrick Appreciation Day
in the middle of a doubleheader against the Washington Senators
at Yankee Stadium, where the mayor and many others gave speeches,
including Babe Ruth and a man who didn't like the
public spotlight. Took the microphone in front of over sixty
thousand fans where they heard him speak for the last time.
Here's the recording that was saved from the speech. Part
of what's memorable is the echo you hear, and due
to the challenges at the time, we only have part
of the speech, but even that is iconic.
Speaker 2: For the past two weeks you've been reading about of
pan Yank today, I consider myself the luckiest man on
the face of the eighth.
Speaker 3: When you look around, wouldn't you can sure have said
it to associates yourselves with such a time looking man
as a standing in uniform in this pub park today.
Speaker 2: That I might have.
Speaker 3: Been given a bad grade, but I've got an awful
lot to live for. Thanks.
Speaker 1: Sadly, Luke Garrick would pass away just two weeks away
from turning thirty eight. He always remember as a Yankees legend.
I want to thank you for listening to this short
episode today, and I want you to come back again.
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