Nolan Ryan's HOF Induction
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Nolan Ryan was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday, July 25, 1999.  It was quite cool as he was the first player ever to be inducted as a Texas Ranger.  To your right is Nolan's plaque, and below was his induction speech.  Following that are some selected photos from his induction.  Enjoy!

This is indeed a special day and I'm privileged to be here. I want to thank the sportswriters for this honor, and I'm humbled by it. And I'd like to say thank you to the guys that I faced over my career, which some of them are here and sitting on this stage today, and I can honestly say that I'm enjoying seeing them now more than I ever have, and I really didn't particularly care for them when they had their uniforms on. So guys, I appreciate it. I enjoyed the competition, and it was indeed an honor to face you.

I'm going to spend my time today just thanking the people that played a role in my career, because I truly do believe that I was blessed by a lot of people whose paths crossed mine, as I went down the road of my career. My ability to throw a baseball was a gift. It was a God-given gift. And I'm truly appreciative of that gift. It took me a while to figure that out, and to realize what a gift that I'd been given, and when I finally did, I dedicated myself to be the best pitcher I possibly could be, for as long as I possibly could be.

I had the pleasure, as Robin (Yount) said, to live a childhood dream, as many young Americans and Puerto Rican children live, to play youth baseball, and I feel honored and very thankful for that opportunity. My parents played a very big role in my life and, growing up as the last of six children, I didn't realize the influence that my parents had on me, and, if they were here today, they would be very proud, not only for this honor, but the fact that my four sisters and my brother are here today, sharing this honor with me. And they'd be very proud to look at their children and see what they've accomplished in their life, and to see that their dedication and their work ethic had paid off, and that they had instilled that in all their children, and I really feel that they have passed that on to their children, and hopefully it will continue to be passed on to generations to come.

And to play as long as I did, and to have a family, you have to be very blessed, and I was with my wife Ruth. Ruth, I appreciate the job you did, and my three fine children Reid, Reese and Wendy. Baseball life's a tough life on your family, and to be able to play as long as I did, and have the support that I had from my family, I can't tell you how . . . how much that means to me. They were the reason that I was able to play as long as I played, because they gave me the support. For my children, they spent 15 to 20 years of their life in baseball, and Ruth and I spent so many years of our married life that that was our life and we knew nothing else. And when I retired, trust me, not only did Nolan Ryan, but the entire Ryan family had withdrawals from baseball. And it was tough; I always thought that there was going to be life after baseball, and so I designed that, in my life, I would have other interests after baseball that I would be able to step into, and I didn't realize the grip that baseball had on me and my family. I can honestly say it took two full years for me to get over the fact that I was no longer a baseball player.

I would also like to honor, or recognize, excuse me, three people that are here today in the audience, that were involved in my youth. Glenn York, Aubrey Horner and Jim Watson. They were coaches that I had in junior high and high school, and I appreciate them making the effort to be here today. Red Murff, the scout that signed me for the Mets, is here with us today, and I'm proud to say that Red is a friend, and that Red took more of an interest in me at an early age. He thought that when he saw me at 6-2 and 140, he wasn't discouraged by my build and by the way I threw the baseball as many other scouts were, and I appreciate the fact that Red spent so much time with me and worked to help me become a better pitcher. Thank you, Red.

When I went to the New York Mets, I got there at my first stop at 19, and I was overwhelmed by being there, and truly intimidated. And then when I went to stay in '68, I can honestly say that I was not focused on my career and on what it took to be a major league pitcher, and to be a starting pitcher. But I had the opportunity to be a teammate of Tom Seaver's for four years and to get the opportunity to see how Tom conducted himself - his professional attitude and his dedication to his job as a pitcher, and that he looked at baseball as a career, not just as an opportunity for a short period of time. And so I truly paid attention to Tom, and I feel like Tom affected my career and I appreciate the influence, Tom, for what you had on my career. Jerry Grote is in the audience today, and Jerry was a roommate of mine for four years, or I was his roommate for four years, and I appreciate Jerry and the job he did as my catcher.

When I got traded to the California Angels, I really wasn't that excited about going to the Angels because it meant changing leagues, and also a whole new set of teammates. But shortly after I got there, I realized that it was one of the best things that ever happened to me. I like to refer to my years with the Angels as the foundation of my career, and while I was there, I had the opportunity to develop friendships with three very unique people. I still think that Gene Autry is the best owner that I ever played for, and I was proud to be able to say that Gene and I were friends. Gene loved the game of baseball, and every player that played for Gene truly admired Gene. He would come into the clubhouse, he would sit down and visit with you. If you could get him to tell you stories about making movies and going to the rodeos and the things that he did, before long you'd turn around and the whole team would be gathered around him, because that's the way they felt about him. Also, when I went to the Angels, Tom Morgan was the pitching coach, and Tom Morgan took Nolan Ryan on as a special project. And I truly appreciated the effort that Tom gave me and the fact that he wasn't going to allow me to stumble and fall, and if Tom was here today, I'd walk up to him and tell him that was one of the best things that ever happened to me. And then we had Jimmie Reese, a really close friend of mine, who I'm proud to say we named our second son Reese after, because that's how much he meant to us. And we spent a lot of time in those days on the road, and I really feel that he helped me as far as my conditioning program because of the hours and hours that I would spend with him, chasing fungos and having him hit me ground balls. I can't honestly say that he improved me as a fielder, but I was in better shape. Also, Jeff Torborg is here today. He caught my first no-hitter. Jeff, I appreciate it; our years with the Angels were great and I truly enjoy you as a friend.

When I went to Houston as a free agent, I really felt that those years in Houston had a very stabilizing effect on my career and my family, because it gave us an opportunity to live in Texas for nine years at home, where the kids did not have to be uprooted from one school to the next and to have two households. So I truly am thankful to John McMullen for giving me an opportunity to play for the Houston Astros for nine years. And when I went to Houston, they had a conditioning coach by the name of Gene Coleman, and that was the first time that I'd gone to an organization that had a program with a weight room and designed specifically for pitchers. And I feel that through Gene Coleman, I learned more about conditioning and helped learn about the aging process and how you could slow it down, and I feel like that's why I was able to pitch as long as I did. And I also had a very special friend that participated in that ownership by the name of Don Sanders. And Don, I appreciate your friendship; you played a role not only with myself but many of the Astros and the Astro families by making it enjoyable and fun to be a Houston Astro. And so many of us would take our children on the road trips and Don would always be there with his children and we would find fun things to do. It made tough situations much better for us and our family, and Don, I appreciate that.

When I went to the Texas Rangers, as a free agent, I went with the intent to stay one year and finish my career there with the Rangers. And I stayed five. And the reason I stayed five was because of the Texas Rangers. I never enjoyed an organization more, and the staff and the ownership there, I appreciate all they've done for me. I appreciate Eddie Childs giving Mike Stone, Tom Grieve and Bobby Valentine the ability to sign me in Atlanta that day. And I can remember, walking off the airplane in Houston, coming home from Atlanta and it probably being the lowest day of my career. And I'm a believer that you take a negative and turn it into a positive, and as it turned out, it was one of the best things that ever happened to me, and so I do appreciate the Rangers' staff and the Ranger organization for giving me that opportunity. And while I was there, I was very fortunate to have a pitching coach by the name of Tom House. And Tom and I are the same age, and Tom is a coach that's always on the cutting edge. And I really enjoyed our association together, and he would always come up with new training techniques that we would try and see how they would work into my routine. And because of our friendship, and Tom pushing me, I think I got in the best shape of my life during the years that I was with the Rangers. And Tom, I really miss those days that we spent in the weight room and out on the field working together. And that last year you weren't there, I can really say, buddy, I missed you. Thank you for being here today.

And there's other people that I came in contact with in my life and my baseball career that necessarily weren't on the playing field or in uniform. Dick Moss, my agent. Dick became my agent in 1979 when I signed my contract with the Houston Astros. And Dick, I appreciate the job that you've done for me and watching out for my best interest, and I truly felt that I was represented by the best. Thank you.

And then there was Matt Merola, who has handled all my commercial endorsements since 1972. And Matt's always been very protective of me, and made sure that during my playing career, that what we had to do off the field did not interfere with what I had to do on the field. And I appreciate that, and I think the people that we worked with did. So, thank you, Matt.

Also I'd like to thank somebody that definitely has had an effect on myself and my family and many ballplayers sitting in this audience today, and that was Marvin Miller. I came into the game, when I broke into the major leagues, the minimum salary was $7,000. And I'd have to go home in the wintertime and get a job. The first year I was in the big leagues, the job I had was that I worked at a service station pumping gas from 3 o'clock to 9 o'clock and closing the service station so Ruth and I could live through the winter until baseball season started. She worked in the bookstore at the college. And because of Marvin's efforts and people in baseball, we brought that level up to where the players weren't put in that situation. And Marvin, I appreciate the job that you've done and the impact that it's had on my family. Thank you.

There's a lot of my teammates here today. And I appreciate them being here, making an effort to be here. And when I see each and every one of them, I always remember something that happened during our careers together. And I do appreciate y'all being there and the support that you gave me during those years.

And last, but not least, are the fans. I feel very fortunate that I played for the four organizations I did. I played on both coasts and I got the opportunity to stay in Texas for 14 years. And I can say I was truly blessed by the fans and the support that they gave me, and I do appreciate that, and that's what makes this a great game is the support and the commitment that the fans give the game. And I may be gone, but I won't forget you. And I appreciate all those times that you supported me over the 27 years that I played and my family. Thank you.

A speech in front of the special "Nolan Ryan Express" Southwest Airlines airplane.	The crowd at Cooperstown	TX governor George W. Bush & Nolan's wife	Nolan shakes hands with Robin Yount

Nolan gets his plaque from Bud Selig (the guy on the right is the guy who runs the HOF)	Nolan delivering his speech	Orlando Cepeda, Robin Yount, Nolan Ryan, & George Brett with their plaques.	Nolan's plaque

Earlier in the year at a ceremony announcing Nolan (with Robin & George) being elected to the HOF	Hall of Fame Announcement Ceremony	Hall of Fame Announcement Ceremony